The Fall of Five
by brawler827
Summary: My version of what happens after the Rise of Nine. My first fanfic! John thought once the Garde united, it would be over. They would take on the Mogs and win. But Setrakus Ra showed them otherwise. If anything, the Garde uniting only made the stakes higher. Now they must find Five quickly and train for the war to end all wars. Rated T for language, violence, and suggestive scenes.
1. Chapter 1: Just a Day in the Life

**Hey guys, this is my first fanfic. I'm a huge fan of the Lorien Legacies series, so I decided to write out what happens next and the ending my way. This is from John's, Sarah's, and Six's viewpoint throughout the story. I actually have about the first 10 chapters written by now. I'm only putting out the first few chapters though, just to see how it's received. Anyway, read on to see what happens after the Rise of Nine! THIS APPLIES TO ALL CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies or anything affilitated with it, yada yada yada.**

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"Come on!" Nine shouts. He cuts down five Mogs with one sweep of his staff. The rest of us follow, killing Mogs who get in our way. We make a break for the exit of the government base. Leading the way are Nine and Six, cutting down Mogs so the rest of us can run through. Sarah and I are in the middle, with me ripping Mogs off their feet with telekinesis. Bringing up the rear are Marina, Eight, and Ella.

I can't believe it. After all these years, the Lorien Garde are almost reunited. Nine and I traveled from Chicago to this base in New Mexico, while Eight, Six, Marina, and Ella teleported here. Along the way, I was reunited with Sarah. All that remains is to find Five and train, and we will ultimately defeat Setrakus Ra.

As we near the metal door that stands between us and freedom, FBI agents appear. They're carrying Mogadorian guns. This makes me enraged. The Mogadorians have tricked the US Government into thinking that if they help them, they will get rewarded by being the most powerful government in the world. Little do they know the luxuries are only temporary. If the Mogadorians defeat us, they will take over the world, and enslave all humans.

A large crowd of FBI agents and Mogadorians surrounds us.

"Circle formation!" Six yells. We form a circle, backs facing Sarah and Ella. Sarah is human and has no powers. Although she always insists that she can fight, I don't let her. Ella is the youngest of us all, a Lorien Garde who is Number Ten. Although she has the natural ability to change ages, she hasn't developed any Legacies yet. But recently, she seemed like she was developing telepathy, so she could communicate with all of us mentally.

We spring into action. Nine swings his staff in huge circles while laughing like a maniac. I shake my head. If there's one thing that guy enjoys too much, it's fighting. Six goes invisible and ambushes our enemies. Eight morphs into one of his reincarnations of Vishnu and wreaks havoc. Marina and I simply use telekinesis to knock down our enemies. Soon, there are bodies lying all around us. Nine breaks through the heavy metal door and we sprint out into freedom.

We're about a mile from the base before we stop. Sarah and Ella are the only ones who can't run at ridiculously high speeds like us, and they're exhausted.

"Alright, guys," Eight addresses all of us. "There's way too many of you for me to be able to teleport all of you to a safe location."

"Eight, how many people can you teleport with you?" Marina asks.

"I think I can take two people without something going wrong," Eight says.

"Eight, take Sarah and Ella with you," I say. Sarah looks at me.

"John, I don't wanna leave you," she says sadly. I sigh. I'm making the best decision, but not necessarily the right one.

"Sarah, please understand," I plead. "You and Ella are the only ones who can't defend yourselves. Eight will teleport you to a rendezvous spot where you can meet up with us again. I'm sure he'll protect you."

"Fine," Sarah says sadly. "But that doesn't mean I like it."

"Yeah," Ella chimes in. "I don't wanna leave Marina."

Nine is tapping his foot impatiently. "Hey guys, I don't mean to interrupt your love context or anything, but there are Mogs and FBI after us." He points to the base. He's right. Coming around the corner of the building are trucks with Mogs and FBI in them.

"Guys, let's make a decision quick," Six says. "We've already decided that Sarah and Ella will go with Eight. The rest of us can handle ourselves. What we need to do is figure out a rendezvous spot that's not too obvious."

"Iowa," I blurt out. Everyone looks at me strangely. "Um, I saw it on a map once and it looks pretty rural," I say sheepishly.

"We don't have time to argue," Marina says. "Iowa. Which city?"

"Des Moines," I say. "The capital."

"It's decided then," Six says. "Now, we better get a move on it before they catch us." The trucks are now about a quarter of a mile away.

"One last thing," I say. "We meet at Des Moines at the capitol building in one week. If one of us doesn't see the others, we can assume something's happened."

Eight takes Sarah and Ella's hand, and they're gone in an instant. The rest of us look at each other. The trucks have now caught up to us and the Mogadorians and FBI have walked out.

"I say we blow up some more Mogs," Nine says with a grin.


	2. Chapter 2: Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana

As soon as Eight takes my hand, we disappear. The world spins, and I feel dizzy. I manage to hang on to Eight's hand. I close my eyes. When I feel the spinning stop, I open my eyes. We're in the middle of a wheat field. It stretches for miles and miles, and that's all I can see. I turn my head. Eight is next to me, and Ella is beside him.

"Eight?" I ask tentatively. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," he replies. "When John said rural, I imagined a farm. So I just thought farm and that's where we are now."

"How will we know where we are then?" Ella asks.

"There's probably a sign somewhere," I say. "We need to get out of this field and find it."

"Sarah's right," Eight says. "Let's start walking."

We walk for miles and miles. All we can see are crops. After spending about half the day getting out, we finally reach a sign of civilization. It's a small town, but it has a sign. We stop to read it.

"Gary, Indiana," I read. "I'm sorry Eight, but this is the wrong place." Eight shakes his head.

"John should've given me more details about the place," he mutters. I find myself immediately coming to his defense.

"It's not like he had any time to tell you where it was," I say angrily. Eight backs up with his hands held up.

"I'm sorry I insulted your _boyfriend_," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I'm about to punch him when Ella steps between us.

"Guys, there's no use fighting," she says. "We need to find a way to get to Iowa, and remember: we're a team. We can't be fighting, it just makes us less productive."

I'm impressed. Those are wise words coming from an 11-year old. I take a deep breath.

"Alright, Eight," I say. "Iowa is west of here. We'll have to find some way of transportation to get there. We'll have to cross Illinois on the way too."

Eight sighs. "If only I could get it in my head what it looks like," he says.

"That's not a problem," I say. "We can pull up a picture on the Internet."

Two hours later, we're sitting in the local library using their computer. I pull up a picture of their capitol building. Eight memorizes it and thanks me. We leave the library and find a quiet corner where nobody will notice us gone. Eight holds my hand and I prepare for the dizziness that comes with teleporting. After about 30 seconds, I open my eyes, but we're still in Gary, Indiana. I look at Eight.

"I'm sorry, guys," he says. "I'm so exhausted from fighting, teleporting, and walking for half the day. I have no energy left to teleport."

"It's ok," Ella says. "Let's find a place to stay and we can try again tomorrow."

"How will we pay? We have no money on us at all," I say. Eight smiles. He pulls out a wad of 100 dollar bills, kept together by a rubber band. I gasp.

"Where did all that money come from?" I say confusedly.

"Each Cepan was given a bag of gems to sell for money when they came to Earth," he says. "I happened to not need any of mine, because I was living in the mountains."

We find a shabby motel to stay in for the night. Eight rents a room for three of us so he can protect us in case anything goes wrong during the night. He lets Ella and I have the beds and he sleeps on the couch. That night, as I'm lying in bed, I can only think about John. I'm hoping he's ok. _We'll be together soon enough, _I think.


	3. Chapter 3: Fast Food Gets Dangerous

**How'd you like the first two chapters? Sorry if they're a little short, nothing really happens in the first few chapters. It's about to get interesting though. Anyway, read on to see what happens!**

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After we finish dispatching the Mogs, we hijack one of their trucks. The car that John and Nine took here was blown up by helicopters, so this was the best option. Even so, it's not safe. The government could easily recognize one of their own vehicles and pull us over. We stop at a paint shop, give the truck a new paint job, and steal a license plate. It didn't work the first time John, Sam, and I tried it, but there's always a first for everything.

Sam. As we drive along, I think about him. The last time I saw him was when we went separate ways. I headed for Spain and he went with John to the Mogs' hideout. Since John is obviously off-limits now, I've started thinking about him. I'm kind of angry we didn't spend more time at the government base to search for him. Sarah said he was thrown in a cell with her once. I'm not giving up. John feels the same way because Sam is his friend. _We'll find you, Sam Goode, _I think. _We'll find you._

We drive for a few days. We make it to Iowa at midday of the third day we've been driving, and surprisingly no cops have pulled us over and asked for identification. We stop at a McDonald's to get some lunch. John sees something's bothering me. He comes over and we grab our own table, while Nine and Marina sit together. Bernie Kosar is an insect and he twitches in John's pocket. Although he was injured, he's healing nicely.

"So what's up, Six?" John asks casually.

"I've been thinking about Sam lately," I say. John nods his head.

"Yeah, me too," he replies. "When I was staying with Nine I had a dream about Sam. Setrakus Ra was standing by him and they were pumping some sort of liquid into him. Setrakus Ra was torturing him and he said that if I didn't come for him, he would kill him."

"You didn't tell me about this earlier?" I ask incredulously.

"Hey, there was no time. Nine and I got here and we were thrust into action right away," he says.

"John, we have to save Sam," I plead. John looks grim.

"Right now, we don't even know where he is," he says. "Setrakus Ra might be tricking me. Who knows, maybe he already killed him," his voice trails off. My temper flares.

"Don't say that!" I yell, and everyone in the restaurant stares at me. I quiet down. "Sam is alive. I know that. If he was dead I would have been able to feel it."

"I get it, Six," he says. "I want to find him just as badly as you do. But we have to be realistic. Right now our priority is reuniting with Eight's group and finding Five. Maybe after we do that, we can find Sam."

"How could you even say that?" I hiss. "A few weeks ago, our priority was finding Sam's stuff, and you had to go on a love trip with your GIRLFRIEND. And look where that got us!" He looks shocked. He looks down for a minute. Finally he lifts his head.

"I-I'm sorry. Maybe it's just been spending these past few days with Nine. Nine's priority is to eliminate the Mogadorians and settle Lorien again. Maybe some of that just rubbed off on me," he says softly. My anger fades.

"I understand," I say.

"We'll get him back," he says. "Even if it's the last thing I do, we'll get him back."

I stand up and hug him. He hugs me back, but he quickly lets go.

"Six, I've been thinking," he begins. "You know, since we found Sarah, it'd kinda be turning my back on her again to do what we did before…"

"I know," I cut him off. "I understand. I was never meant to be your love anyway. When I was spending time with Sarah in the cell, she told me that she truly believes you're the only one for her. And that is what I can't mess with."

"I'm glad you understand." He gives me a small smile. "But I have to break it to her eventually. The guilt will be overwhelming."

"Talk to her once we meet up again," I suggest. "The earlier you get it off your chest, the better. And trust me, John. She won't hate you for it. And I won't hate you either for leaving me. That's why I have Sam." I wink at him. He smiles.

"We could be like brother and sister," he suggests. "And I could give you advice about that dork," he adds jokingly. I punch him in the arm. The rest of the group is done with their food and so are we, so we go dump our trays. We're about to walk out the door, but… it's blown off its hinges.

The explosion throws all of us back. I see a small round object sail into the McDonald's, and I know it's a grenade.

"Down!" Nine shouts. Not that he needed to tell us that. I instinctively scramble away from the grenade and it explodes. In such a small area, it blows half the roof off. And there's something else too- they're not using smoke bombs anymore. I guess Setrakus Ra told the FBI the "Wanted Alive" label wasn't necessary from now on.

After the smoke clears, a small FBI unit of about 15 people storms in carrying Mog lasers and riot shields. The other people in the restaurant start panicking. One of the FBI agents holds up a megaphone and starts telling the "innocents" to get out of the restaurant. Behind the squad, another truck pulls in with more agents and Mogs.

Nine jumps into action and the rest of us follow. I go invisible, dodge lasers, and knock out a few of them with a brutal sweeping kick. Nine, Marina, and John follow too with their own tricks. Soon we have the entire force knocked out. Nine is breathing heavily. He turns to us.

"So what's the plan now?" he asks casually, as if nothing just happened.

"That was a scouting group," John says. "There'll be more agents and Mogs coming. We better get out of here fast."

"How?" Marina responds. "If we take one of their vehicles they'll recognize it and hunt us down."

"We'll take them anyway," I interrupt. "I have a plan."


	4. Chapter 4: Reunion

**Harvard with the upseeettt! WOOOOOO! College basketball anyone? March Madness? No? Ok... anyway, I decided to upload the next three chapters. I'm gonna be on vacation pretty soon and I won't have access to my computer. So because I'm a nice person, I won't keep you waiting and just upload Chapters 4, 5, and 6 now. So read on!**

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Chapter 4

It turns out Six's plan wasn't as brilliant as she made it out to be. But I guess it worked for the time being. We drove the car down to Oklahoma, pushed it down a ravine and hitchhiked the rest of the way to Iowa. Some genius plan. At least it kept the FBI off our trail. Even with our speed we barely made it to Des Moines before the deadline. I had communicated with Ella telepathically the night before, so I knew where we needed to go.

We meet up at the capitol building. I see Sarah and she sees me too. She runs into my arms and I hug her.

"I've missed you so much," I whisper.

"I'm sure I've missed you more," she replies.

"There'll be plenty of time for _that _later," Eight says. "So how did you guys make out?"

Six tells them about how we got attacked by Mogs, stealing the truck, and hitchhiking. Sarah whistles.

"We sure had a lot easier time than that," she says. "We stayed in Indiana for a day, then we teleported here."

We check in at a hotel Eight's reserved. I'm with Sarah, Eight is with Nine, and Six is with Marina and Ella. After we get situated, I crash. I lay down on the bed and don't even remember falling asleep. When I open my eyes all I see is yellow. I'm confused. I blow and some of it flutters up. I smile. Sarah is sleeping with me. She feels me shift and opens her eyes.

"Sleep well?" she asks.

"Always when I'm with you," I reply and smile. She grins. She falls on me and kisses me. I kiss back with passion. I'll never take any kiss for granted. After about half an hour of kissing, I pull away. She gets off me and gets dressed.

"We're meeting downstairs for dinner in 20 minutes," she says. "We're gonna talk about what to do next." I groan.

"I don't want to," I say. "I wanna just lay on this bed for the rest of the day and wake up tomorrow."

"Come on, silly," she says. She tries to pull me off the bed but I'm too strong. I pull her back on the bed on top of me.

"You know what's silly?" I whisper. She giggles.

"What?" she asks.

"How we have two beds in this room," I reply seductively.

"But…we have two people in this room," she says, pretending not to understand.

"But we don't need to have a separate bed," I reply. She laughs and kisses me. After three minutes, she pulls away.

"You should probably get dressed," she says. "Dinner's in like 10 minutes."

I get off the bed and put on a T-shirt and some shorts. Bernie Kosar scratches at my legs.

"Sorry Bernie, you're gonna have to stay here," I say to him.

_Where are you going? _He asks in my mind.

_On a date, _I reply in my mind, and I swear he rolls his eyes. But he stays, and Sarah and I walk hand in hand downstairs.

We walk into the restaurant where a table has already been set. Everyone is there, and there are two empty seats for Sarah and me. We sit down and I hear Nine snicker.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Nothing," he answers mischievously. He whispers something to Six that sounds like "I told you" and they both start laughing. I roll my eyes. We make small talk at the dinner table before the food arrives. We're all famished, so we dig in without a word. Once we finish, Six makes an announcement.

"Alright guys," she starts. "I see you're all finished with your dinner, so I'll start. We're going to be meeting in our room tonight at 9. Obviously I can't say very much right now, but you all know it's going to be important. Once we've figured out our next move, we need to get going. They could already be hot on our trail and this place won't be safe much longer."

"They could have bugged our rooms though," Eight says. Six shakes her head.

"I didn't think about that," she says.

"I got that taken care of already," Nine answers. "I've already checked our room. There's no bugs, and you can trust me because I've been debugging our penthouse in Chicago for years. Chances are they haven't caught up to us yet if our rooms aren't bugged. We can meet tonight. It'll be safe."

We go back up to our rooms. I check the time. It's 7:30. We have an hour and a half to kill.

"So what do you wanna do for the next one and a half hours?" I ask Sarah.

"I don't know," she replies. "This place seems like it's even more boring than Paradise." We both laugh.

"But seriously, though," I say. "We have an hour and a half to kill. You wanna take a tour of this place or something?"

"I've already taken a tour of this place," she says. "I was here for four days waiting for you, remember? And like I said, this place might be even more boring than Paradise."

After contemplating what we should do, we decide to go for a walk. Sarah was right. Des Moines is definitely competing with Paradise when it comes to things to do. We walk through the Sculpture Garden and explore downtown. Bernie Kosar trots along with us. Sarah occasionally takes pictures with the new camera she bought a few days earlier. Time flies by quickly. I check my phone and it's 8:15. We sit down on a bench by Gray's Lake.

"The sunset's beautiful tonight," Sarah remarks. We're right on the beach, facing the sunset. I have my arm around her and she's leaning on me.

"Everything's beautiful with you," I reply. She looks at me and smiles. I kiss her lightly on the forehead.

"I wish we could just forget about everything," she says wistfully.

"I wish it were that simple," I say. "But don't worry, once we defeat the Mogs, you and I will get married, have kids, and live the rest of our lives out together."

"Sounds like you already have our life planned," she jokes. I laugh. She grins.

"Where would you wanna live?" I ask.

"Somewhere at least 1000 miles away from Paradise," she says. I crack up.

"I'd wanna be away from the other Garde," I say. "You know how crazy Nine is? That guy will not shut up about beheading Setrakus Ra. And Six is just annoying."

Sarah laughs. "I can tell why," she says. Suddenly a lump catches in my throat. I mentioned Six. She told me sooner or later I was gonna have to tell Sarah. I need to get the guilt off my chest. I decide to tell her now.

"Um…Sarah?" I ask tentatively.

"Yeah, what's up?" she replies, still laying against me.

"I have to tell you something," I say. "It's about Six."

Sarah sits up and looks me in the eyes. Her smile is gone, replaced by a straight slash line across her mouth. "Tell me what you have to tell me," she says softly. "I won't judge."

"Alright," I take a deep breath. "You know that night when you asked me if Six and I kissed? We actually came close. When we went for a walk, we held hands and talked about love. We were close to kissing before the house blew up and we had to rescue Sam. Then, after she busted us out of jail, we kissed at the airport."

"Sarah, I'm really sorry. I never meant to fall in love with Six. I mean, it just happened. I guess I was lonely and I needed you, so I went to Six. But I'm sorry about that night. I had Six on my mind half the time when I went to see you. But now I've promised myself to never do that again. Sarah Hart, you are my true love. Will you forgive me?" I finish. It all poured out. I look at her, searching for a reaction. Her face is soft, a look of sorrow on her eyes.

"John, it was a really crazy night. I'm sorry for what happened. It's as much my fault as it is yours. I was hurting and I needed you. I'm sorry," she says.

"No. You had every reason to be angry that night," I say softly.

"Let's forget about it," she says, and softly kisses me.

"Sarah, I just want you to understand…"

"I forgive you, John. But I just need some time alone to think about it."

"Are you sure you're okay? It's okay if you wanna break up or something…"

She looks shocked. "John, I would never break up with you. I just need some time alone."

"Alright," I say sadly. "But the meeting's at 9:00, so don't forget to come."

She gives a small smile. "I'll be okay, John. Trust me."


	5. Chapter 5: Number Five or Sam?

Chapter 5

It's 8:58. Everybody is pretty much here. Marina, Ella, and me have pushed the tables together and moved the beds to the side with telekinesis to make room. The only people not here yet are Sarah and Nine. Bernie Kosar is underneath the table picking up scraps. John is sitting in the corner, a look of sadness on his face. I'm guessing he told Sarah about him and me. I make a mental note to talk to him later.

There's a knock at the door and I open it. Sarah walks in, followed by Nine, who is holding a tablet. John mouths something that looks like "are you okay" to Sarah, and Sarah mouths back "yes". I sit down and start the meeting.

"Alright guys, let's get started," I announce. "We need to make our next move. Obviously we need to find the last member of the Garde, Number Five. What we do next is open for discussion tonight."

Nine opens his tablet and puts it in the middle of the table. "Right now, as you can see, there are six dots in Iowa. The one dot Johnny and me saw earlier is still in Jamaica. So based on that, we should be buying tickets for the next plane out."

"What will we do once we get to Jamaica?" Marina asks. "We have no idea what Number Five looks like, and he or she might not believe us."

"We can use the tablet to track him or her down," Nine replies. "Besides, don't you guys all feel where to go anyway?" We nod our heads.

"What about Sam?" John asks.

"What about Sam?" Nine replies.

"His father was one of the few humans the Loric could trust. We need to find him. He could be still locked away in some Mog chamber, being tortured."

"I agree," I say. "Even though he might not look useful, Sam is one of our greatest helpers. We should find him."

"The smart thing right now would be to find Five though," Eight says. "But once we find Five, we should go find Sam."

"What about training?" Ella pipes up. We all look at her. "Setrakus Ra disabled all of your Legacies back in New Mexico. We need to train to fight him."

"Good thinking, Ella," I say. "Plus, when I was fighting him, he told me that if we were strong enough he wouldn't be able to take away our Legacies."

"So here's the list of priorities and we can see if we're all in agreement," John says. "We need to fly to Jamaica to find Five. Then, we find Sam and find out about his dad. And finally, we train."

"For how long?" Marina asks.

"Until that bastard can't take away our Legacies with his stupid whip," Nine growls.

"So it's settled, then," I say, ignoring Nine. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow."

"Hang on," Eight says. "We need to find a permanent spot where we can set up. We need to train, be safe from Mog attacks, and prepare ourselves for the ultimate war."

"Search up places away from attraction," John suggests. "A place like Paradise," he adds wistfully.

Nine is looking on his laptop. "How about Sand City?" he asks. I look at him.

"You're joking, right?" I ask.

"I'm not for once," he says. "Population 360, right on the coast of California."

The others start nodding their heads in agreement. I sigh.

"Sand City, California," I say. "I guess we'll set up our permanent home there. We'll need a training facility, a house, and defenses for Mog attacks."

"I got that covered, babe," Nine says and winks. I roll my eyes and John snickers. "Can't be much harder to set up than my penthouse in Chi-Town."

"Except for the fact that you have to build the house," Ella says.

"Telekinesis," Nine says. "Or I can flat-out buy the place."

"Okay, it's settled," Eight says. "I'm going back to our room. We're gonna have to get some rest if we're leaving tomorrow, like you said."

"Alright, then I guess we're dismissed," I say. The others stand up and slowly begin shuffling out of our room. Marina and Ella start putting the room back together. I catch John on his way out.

"So what's up with you and Sarah?" I ask.

"I confessed to her like you told me," he says. "She said she needed time to think about it. I'm not sure if she forgives me."

"John, Sarah will always love you," I say. "Trust me. You don't have to worry about what she thinks about it. Just embrace your love."

He smiles. "Thanks," he says. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go get some rest now."

"Go ahead." I smile. "Go get her," I add and wink. He sighs and leaves the room without another word. Marina and Ella have finished moving the beds. I decide it's time for me to get some sleep too. I take a shower, get on the bed, and quickly fall asleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Welcome to Jamaica, Mon

Chapter 6

I'm one of the first ones to leave Six's room, but not because of John and his affair. I'm getting tired, and I still need to do some thinking. I see John talking to Six and I figure he'll take a while. I go back to our room and start thinking.

John. It's only been a month and a half, but it seems like a year ago that Paradise High School was destroyed. It seems like 10 years ago I first met him. The first day of school. I had been snapping pictures with my camera. Mom had told me to look out for the new kid, whose name was John. Paradise is a small town, so anyone new immediately gets noticed. I saw him walking down my way and stopped him. I introduced myself, and he did the same. It was the boy Mom told me to look out for. I took a couple of pictures of him. I felt something special, something I had never felt with anyone else in my life.

He came into my second period astronomy with 10 minutes left. He got tangled up with Mark, and I knew he'd be in bad shape from the get go. He left early that first day with a bad case of asthma, but now I know it was his Lumen activating. The next day he was back, and he was in my Home Ec. We got partnered up and we started talking. I don't know why, but I told him everything. My relationship with Mark, how it ended badly, and how I was trying to get on the right track. He listened to me and didn't judge. And now, I'm returning the favor by not judging.

The night of Halloween changed me. It started out like any other carnival, with the rides, games, and food. I invited John to go on the haunted tractor ride. That's when Mark and his cronies ambushed us. I was dragged away to Shepard Falls. Mark told me he planned to beat the crap out of John and then let me go. When John finally came, he threatened to beat all of them. Mark laughed. He wasn't laughing later. John beat all of them like it was nothing, and took me home. That's when I realized the boy of my dreams had finally come. So I kissed him. The look on his face was magical. So, I had to kiss him again!

We started dating. It was the first time I was in a relationship where I truly felt something special. John loved me with his heart and I did too. I got caught in a fire at Mark James' house during his party. John saved me, and that's when he revealed his true identity. I didn't care. To me, he was and still is the boy I fell in love with many months ago. Then came the attack on Paradise and he and Six had to flee. I was heartbroken. I suspected he'd been doing things with Six when he came back to visit me. But when I was captured and they tortured me, the only thing I could think about was him.

John walks into our room as I'm finishing reminiscing.

"Are you fine?" he asks. He has a look of concern on his face. I nod.

"I'll be fine," I reply. I smile at him. He still looks worried.

"Sarah, I'm really sorry," he says softly. "I was just confused. I didn't know who to go to. I never should've betrayed you-"

"Hush," I whisper. I kiss him gently. "We're past that now, ok?" I continue. "What's happened's happened. Don't worry about it anymore. I'll be fine. The fact that we're finally together is enough for me."

"Alright." He looks relieved. He grasps me in his arms. "Sarah Hart, as long as I live, I will never let anything happen to us or our love. I'll never go back on that word."

"I believe you." I stroke his chin. "There's one thing you could do for me though."

"What?" he asks. I smile.

"Take a shower," I answer. "You stink."

We wake up early the next morning. Our flight to Jamaica is at 7:30 am. I quickly pack all of the things I've bought in a suitcase I bought as well. Whoever thought of the idea for the Loric to bring so many gems to sell is a genius. I have everything I could possibly need for a vacation. Except for the fact that this isn't some ordinary family vacation. I pack John's things as well for him. I smile. This time, he's not leaving me. We check out of the hotel and drive to the airport in one of their rental cars. John has forged fake IDs for all of the Garde. Before I can blink, we're on a plane. We're flying to Miami and getting on another flight to Kingston, Jamaica.

I'm sitting in row 9, window seat. John is sitting next to me and Eight is next to him. Beside us, in the other row, are Marina, Six, and Ella. Nine is sitting in the seat in front of Eight.

"Yo, Stanley, hand me my bag," John says to Nine. Our cover is that we are high school students heading to Jamaica for a school trip. Six, Marina, and Ella gave us the idea from when they went from Spain to India. John just signaled that everyone has boarded.

"Jeez man, your bag's heavy," Nine says as he hands John his bag. Signal for no Mogs or FBI on the plane. John looks in his bag. He pulls out the dagger (I don't know how he managed to get that past security) and puts it in his pocket. He still has on his red bracelet which protects him. He hands Nine back his bag and Nine puts it in the overhead space. I'm tired. I lean against John's shoulder and fall asleep fast.

When I wake up, I don't feel John's shoulder anymore. I lift my head and look around. I assume he's in the bathroom. Eight is in his seat, reading a book. Six, Marina, and Ella are playing a game with a deck of cards Six bought. Nine has his headphones on so loud I can hear them from my seat. John returns and the pilot announces that we'll be landing shortly. We grab our bags and board our next flight to Jamaica.

The flight to Jamaica goes without incident and we land in Kingston. We get off, get our luggage (which is really just the Garde's chests and clothes) and head for our hotel. Once we get settled, we meet in Nine and Eight's room. John plugs the tablet into Nine's laptop and we crowd around.

"Nothing's changed since last time," Six remarks. "The dot is still here in Jamaica, and our two ships are still in New Mexico and Egypt."

"We need to pinpoint where Five is," John says. Nine opens a separate screen. It's a detailed map of Jamaica.

"Right now we're in Kingston," he says. "This dot looks like it's around the same area. I'm guessing Five is really close. I say we should go find him or her now."

"Nine," Eight suddenly says urgently. "Did you check the rooms for bugs?"

"Aww, shit," Nine answers. "I'll get on it!" He goes in the bathroom and starts scouting.

"It might be possible the Mogadorians knew we were coming here," Ella says. "They could be tracking Five."

"Guys, we got problems." Nine's done scouting the room. He holds up two small, round disks in his hands. "The Mogs caught on to us. We need to get out of here and find Five, ASAP."

Suddenly there's a knock at the door. Our eyes all venture to the door.

"Who is it?" John calls out.

"Housekeeping," a muffled voice replies. John shakes his head. We know it's a Mog. Nobody would go and clean our room as soon as we got there. This Mog is pretty bad adapting to human life. John pulls his dagger out and it morphs with his hand. He creeps to the door slowly. He looks out of the peephole.

"How many?" Marina asks.

"At least 20," John replies grimly. "And they have our luggage." BK jumps out of his pocket and turns into a beagle. He growls, ready for battle.

"Are they armed?" Eight asks. John looks out again.

"Mog cannons. We better be-"he doesn't finish the sentence. The door is blown open. I scream as John tumbles to the floor.

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**Ooh, we have our first cliffhanger. I'll give you guys some time to mull over what happens next. In the meantime, don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Number Five

**Alriiight! We are back! Vacation went pretty well, except for the fact that I was itching to write and I couldn't. Thanks everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate your feedback! This might be annoying by now, but don't forget to review! haha**

**Anyway, there's one thing I forgot to mention before. I'm a HUGE John/Sarah fan. I don't know why. It just feels right. I hate John/Six, and that's why I'm even writing 1/3 of this story as Sarah's viewpoint in the first place. I also enjoy putting as much John/Sarah stuff into this story as I can, so sorry if that's not your thing. I love it. I'm ranting. Let's get this show on the road. Chapters 7 and 8, comin' up!**

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Chapter 7

To be honest, it's getting really annoying with the Mogs lately. As soon as the door is busted, the squad comes flowing in. It's a group of soldiers with Mog cannons. In the confined space, a lot of our Legacies have become useless. However, we still have pure strength and telekinesis. The soldiers are dumb enough to fire and a blast goes out the window. I hear screams below. We quickly finish off the rest of the Mogs. I get nicked by a cannon blast, but other than John, we're all okay after the fight. Marina rushes over and heals John. Sarah bends down and looks into his eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"I'm fine," he replies. "It'll take more than a Mog cannon to put me down," he adds with a wink. Sarah rolls her eyes.

"Guys, we need to get out of here and find Five," Eight says. He runs onto the deck and looks down. "There are more of them coming," he says.

"We need to get out without letting the Mogs know," Marina says.

"Eight can teleport, and I can make two people invisible," I say. "We'll head to the car and get out of here." It's going to take more than one trip with the amount of people we have and our luggage. We need to hurry.

It takes Eight and I two trips each, but we've gotten everyone and everything into the car. We take off from the parking lot. Nine is driving and Marina is sitting in the front seat. The rest of us are looking at Nine's laptop, which the tablet is plugged into.

"Nine, the dot's moving east," John says. "It looks like they might be taking a car too. Follow Highway 27."

"Roger that, Johnny boy," Nine replies. The tablet shows six dots in Jamaica chasing another dot that is about 10 miles ahead of us. We spend about another hour chasing the dot before it comes to a stop.

"Nine, exit the highway," I say. Nine pulls off and we find ourselves in a town called Port Morant.

"The dot's stopped moving," Eight says. "We'll have to search this town for Five."

"That'll take forever!" John shouts. "We don't have time!"

"It shouldn't take that long," Marina points out. "This isn't a very big town."

"How will we contact Five?" Ella asks.

"Like this," Nine says. He gets out of the car. We're in the main part of town. The marketplace is bustling with activity and people are going about with their daily lives. Nine stands up on someone's fruit stand. The man starts yelling at him in angry Spanish.

"Listen up everyone!" Nine shouts. People turn and look at him. "I don't know what language you speak here, but I hope you can understand me. We're looking for Number Five. Most of you don't know what this means. Number Five, come to us. We are the united Garde. You have to join us. And if any Mogs wanna come up here and try to kill us, be my guest."

Nine walks down from the stand. John pulls him off to the side.

"Why did you attract attention like that?" he hisses.

"Hey man, calm down," Nine says. "Like I said, even if any Mogs heard it, we could take them."

John shakes his head.

"Now what?" Sarah asks.

"Now we wait," I reply. We walk around the marketplace. Nine darts from stand to stand, looking at what they sell.

"Hey guys, get over here." He motions for us to come. "Look at this! Barbecued rabbit! I thought I'd never see anyone selling them."

"I'm gonna be sick again," John groans. Nine laughs. Then, he's pulled into an alley and has a hand slapped over his mouth.

"Nine!" Eight shouts. We hurry into the alley. We see a 40 year old woman with a dagger held to Nine's throat. Behind her is a calm-looking girl. She has sandy brown hair, green eyes, and is holding a Chest. Five. I know we've found her.

"What do you know about the Garde?" the woman hisses. I assume this is her Cepan.

"Hey lady, we know everything about the Garde," Nine replies. "Hell, we ARE the Garde."

The woman looks shocked. She releases him.

"I-I don't believe you," she says shakily.

"Hey, do we look like Mogs to you?" Nine answers. He pulls down his sock. "See, we even have the scars."

The woman slumps her shoulders. She looks relieved.

"Are you really all the Garde?" she asks.

"Yup," Nine says. "I'm Number Nine. I have Numbers Four through Eight with me, and we have Number Ten too. Nice to meet you. I'm assuming this is Five and you're her Cepan."

The woman nods. "I'm Five's Cepan. I go by Patricia in these parts. This is Number Five." She gestures at the girl. She steps forward.

"Hi," she says. She smiles sweetly. "I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you guys."

John extends a hand out towards her. "John," he says. "I'm Number Four."

"Must have been a wild trip for you after Number Three died," she remarks.

"You have no idea," John replies. We each greet her with our names and our numbers. She looks confused when Ella comes up.

"I thought there were only nine," she says.

"There was a second ship that left Lorien," I explain. "She was on that ship. Crayton was her Cepan, but he was killed."

"Wait," Patricia says. "Where are the rest of the Cepan? Brandon, Sandor, Reynolds…"

"They're all dead," John says grimly. "You're lucky, Lucy, to still have a Cepan."

"Oh," Patricia says quietly. "I didn't know."

"It's all right," Marina says. "Hey Lucy, were you the one who pulled the man out of the building in South America?"

"That was me," Lucy said. "Obviously, after that, we had to disappear though."

"You know what I was thinking?" Eight says. We turn to look at him. "Maybe since now we have a Cepan, she can explain the stuff in our Chests and our history better."

"No problem," Patricia says. "We'll have to be safe first though. Do you guys have a car?"

"We do, but it'll be impossible to go back to the airport," I say. "The Mogs are already after us. They probably have the airport locked down too."

As if on cue, I see a glint in the sun. I automatically deflect it with my reflexes. It's a Mog dagger. A scream sounds in the distance.

"They're here," I say grimly.


	8. Chapter 8: A Heated Discussion

Chapter 8

I automatically light up my hands. The rest start activating their Legacies too.

"It's showtime, Five," I say. "Whatcha got for us?"

"Oh, nothing compared to what some of you guys probably have," she replies. "Telekinesis, teleportation, telepathy, and Nova Frost."

"Nova Frost?" I say confusedly. Behind us, a car explodes into flames. I deflect the debris without thinking.

"I can control water and ice to a certain extent," she says. "I can pretty much manipulate it to do what I want."

"Oh," I say. I hear a Mog soldier come up behind me. I flip around and stab him with my dagger. "Show us how that works," I say and leap into battle.

Five teleports in front of me. She raises her palms and a spray of water shoots out from them, blasting Mogs down. She snaps her fingers and the water turns to ice, encasing them in it. Then she smashes the ice with her hands and the Mogs shatter.

"Pretty cool," I remark. "That'll come in handy." Within minutes, we've handled the Mogs. We regroup and survey the damage. Cars are destroyed and buildings have crumbled. The people cower behind pieces of large debris.

"This is bad," Six says. "There'll be more coming too."

"We can't take a plane back," I point out. "What are we gonna do?"

"There's a boat rental at the edge of town," Patricia says. "That's why we came here, to get a boat and get off the island."

"What kind of boats?" Nine says. "I'd kill for a motorboat."

"No luck," Patricia answers. "I can rent a tour boat, but it won't be very fast. However, those are the only boats with motors. There was a newer rental place, but it closed down recently and all the boats were taken."

"We'll make use with what we have," I say. "A tour boat it is."

Three hours later, we're on the open ocean headed for Florida. It didn't take much convincing from the people who owned the rental place to let us have a boat. They looked at us like we might turn into dragons. Patricia knows how to drive a boat, and is being captain right now. Nine, Eight, and Lucy are joking around downstairs. Six, Marina, and Ella are having small talk downstairs too. Sarah and I are upstairs. We're the only ones. We stand next to each other on the railing, facing the ocean.

"So how's everything been?" I say casually.

"It's been ok," she replies quietly.

"You're pretty quiet when we're discussing our plans and stuff," I say.

"John, I can't relate to any of you." She sighs and looks at me. "You guys are all planning your next move to save the world, and I'm just standing in the corner. I can't relate to any of you. I feel like I'm just dead weight."

"Sarah, you know you're not that," I say softly. "You mean the world to me. I promised you I would never leave you again."

"I know," she says sadly. "But that doesn't help the feeling."

"We can train you," I suggest. "You know, once we get situated, I was going to have you learn how to fight anyway."

She brightens up a little bit. "At least if I know how to fight I won't be helpless," she says.

"And I won't have to be your knight in shining armor anymore," I joke.

"Aww," she says with fake sadness in her voice. "I enjoyed that when you saved me."

"Someday you're gonna have to learn how to take care of yourself, princess." I run a hand through her hair. She leans in closer to me and I smell strawberries.

"I get a free pass for right now though." She winks. I kiss her. It's a long, lingering one. When I break free from her, we turn towards the ocean. The sun is setting and our boat is leisurely making its way through the water. The sun throws rays of light onto our boat, and Sarah and I are bathed in it.

"It's beautiful," Sarah murmurs.

"It's a stereotypical romantic setting," I joke. Sarah chuckles. I kiss her on the cheek. She groans.

"You missed, loser," she says, and kisses me on the lips.

The sky has turned dark and we've all gone back inside. Patricia has put the boat on cruise and she joins us at the big table. BK's trotting around under the table. We're going to discuss our next move in the war against Mogadore.

"Good news, guys," she says. "At this rate we can probably reach Florida tomorrow evening."

"Aren't there Mogs trailing us?" Marina asks. Patricia shakes her head.

"If there were, they would have no doubt caught up to us by now," she says.

"But if there aren't any, they've probably stationed squads at all the major ports," Six points out. Patricia nods her head.

"You're right," she says. "I didn't think of that. We'll have to find a beach that isn't being monitored by port authorities."

"We could always change course and head to Mexico," Lucy says. We've filled her in on the details from our adventure. "The Mogs might not be working with the Mexican government."

"Yeah, but they'll still go nuts if a random tour boat shows up at the beach," Nine says. "I say we need to set up our base in a completely different country. England maybe, or Australia."

"That's just what they would expect though," I say. "By now the FBI has probably sent out our faces to authorities around the world. When I was watching the news on the TV earlier, they had a newscast saying we were wanted for 'destruction' of the base."

"So no place is safe then," Sarah concludes. "If that's the case, I say we should just stay in the US."

"Yeah," Ella agrees. "Sand City sounds fun."

"So once we reach the US, we'll head straight for Sand City?" Eight asks. "Remember John and Six still want to find Sam."

"We have no idea where Sam is," Nine says. "He's just a human." Sarah cringes at this. "We need to stop wasting time and start training so I can beat Setrakus Ra's ass."

I slam my fist down on the table. Everyone turns toward me.

"Listen, Nine," I seethe. "Sam may be just another human to you, but he's not to me, Sarah, and Six. We know his father was one of the people who helped us when we first arrived. Maybe his father is still alive. He can give us even more information that would help fight against the Mogadorians. To me, Sam takes as much priority as training does right now."

"Yeah Johnny, but like I said, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS," Nine replies. "I'd rather train than go on a wild goose chase for Sam."

"It's not a wild goose chase," Six says angrily. I'm surprised by the emotion in her voice. "Sarah, didn't you say Sam was put in your cell once?" Sarah nods.

"They might have taken him away though," she says dejectedly. "He was unconscious so I couldn't talk to him."

"Oh," Six says. I know she's disappointed, but she doesn't show it. "But the point is, he might still be at the base in New Mexico. We have to at least search for him."

"Wait wait wait," Nine says. "Are you crazy? You wanna go back to the place where half of us almost died? You know I wanna stab Setrakus Ra, but even I'm not that stupid. We need to train first to make sure we can kick his ass when the time comes."

"It wouldn't be an attack on the base," Six replies. "We could just do some searching around. I have invisibility, and John has the Xlitharis. We could search for Sam without attracting any attention."

"Alright, but it's your funeral," Nine mutters. "I'm not going with you."

Everyone lets out a collective gasp.

"Nine, are you serious?" I say. "You're the one who's the most hotheaded out of all of us. You're _always _looking for a fight. And here we have an opportunity for you to fight, and you're not going to take it? Who are you?"

"Johnny, I'm not risking my skin to go after some human," he says. "Big picture here: Lorien. I only fight for the right cause."

"What the FUCK?!" I yell angrily. "Alright Nine, I've had it with you. You act like you're fucking bipolar, you know that? You beat up a bunch of truckers and say you don't like bullies. You act like fighting is your drug and you don't wanna fight. It's enough. Six and I are going, and we don't care about your damn opinion."

I leave and storm up the stairs.

"John, wait," Sarah calls after me. I don't listen. I reach the deck where Sarah and I were just a few hours ago. I lean over the deck. I sigh angrily and pick up a chair. I throw it and it lands half a mile away with a splash. I feel Sarah's hand on my shoulder. I turn around.

"John, I know Nine can be stubborn sometimes, but you have to calm down," she says pleadingly.

"You're wrong," I snap. "He is stubborn. He's a stubborn asshole who doesn't do anything for the team. At least you didn't have to travel alone with him."

"Just ignore him," Sarah advises. "We can still go save Sam without him."

"I guess you're right," I mumble. "But I don't trust you to come with us, no offense."

"John," she sighs. "You can't keep leaving me like this."

"It won't be forever," I promise. "You can stay at our safe house and train. You'll have the other Garde to protect you."

"Promise me this is the last time," she says. I inch closer to her and hug her.

"I promise," I whisper in her ear. "I'll never go back on that promise."

"John," a voice says urgently. I let go of Sarah and look over her shoulder. Six is standing at the door, with BK behind her.

"We voted after you and Sarah left," she says. "We counted you and Sarah as going for the mission. Nine, Lucy, and Patricia voted not to go. Everyone else voted to go back to the base. So we're going." She smiles. I pump my fist in celebration, and accidentally throw another chair over the deck with telekinesis.

"So what's the plan?" Sarah asks.

"We're gonna get to California," Six says. "Nine wants to just buy a house outright, which was fine by the rest of us. Nine, Lucy, Patricia, and Sarah will stay at the house. The rest of us are going to New Mexico. Our plan is to save Sam, and if Setrakus Ra isn't there, we're going to destroy the base for good," she finishes grimly.

"Sounds good," I say. I turn to Sarah. "You okay with that?" She nods. "Good. It's settled then. We're going to New Mexico."


	9. Chapter 9: Roadtrip Blues

**Okay guys. I gotta upload cuz I gotta upload. Not that you guys are complaining. I just read the official description for the Fall of Five. It sounds absolutely amazing. I can't take my mind off it. I'm so excited for the book to come out, I made about 10 typos as I was typing this alone. So I figured working on my own Fall of Five and uploading would be the only solution to that, so here we are. I planned to upload again on Saturday, but I'm too excited now that I've read the Fall of Five. I know that sounds like a pretty lame excuse, but once you read it, you'll understand too. Side note: the real number five I put a note about my vacation in my last upload. But if you wanna know details, I guess I can provide some details. There wasn't really anything special to do with it. I just went to Minneapolis for a few days and went to the Mall of America and that kind of stuff. So yeah. These next few chapters are gonna be pretty much romance based, and there's not really any action. Just giving you a heads-up. I'm ranting again. On we go, Chapters 9 and 10!**

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Chapter 9

The sun is beginning to set. Patricia's crashed the boat onto an empty beach somewhere in Georgia. John lights himself on fire and destroys the boat. We hijack a car that's running and we go on our way to California. There's not enough room for all of us, so I sit on John's lap. Patricia's driving, Lucy is sitting with her in the front, and the rest of us are crammed into the back. It's a good thing Patricia had the sense to steal a van for our mode of transportation.

I lean back on John's chest and start thinking about the past few days. I've been broken out of the base in New Mexico, teleported halfway around the US, flown to Jamaica, and spent time on the open sea. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced before. These past few _months _were unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Finding out aliens existed, being captured by the FBI, and being tortured. I involuntarily shudder.

"Is everything ok?" John says softly. I turn to look at him and nod. He gives me a small smile. I lay back on him again and start thinking.

Before I met John I was just a small-town girl. I figured I'd graduate high school, go to a state university, get a decent job and live my life out in Ohio. That all changed when I fell in love with John. Now, I'm on the run with John and the rest of the Garde. Now, we face death every day. We're fighting a war the entire world is oblivious to. Well, almost the entire world since the US has teamed up with the Mogadorians. Then I think about what will happen once the war ends. Will I ever be able to live a normal life again? I know I won't leave John, but I don't know what his plans are. I'm so confused right now.

Patricia pulls into a gas station. We're on the edge of Alabama and Mississippi. Everyone gets out to stretch their legs, use the restroom, and buy some food. Patricia starts refueling the van. John is the only one that hasn't gotten out yet.

"Um, Sarah, could you get off now?" he asks tentatively.

"Sure," I reply. "But could I just ask you something first?"

"Of course." He smiles. "What is it?"

"What are you going to do once the war's over?" I ask. He shrugs.

"I don't know," he says. "We'll probably take our ship back to Lorien. We'll have to start rebuilding it, and some of us will have to stay there permanently."

"What about me?" I ask. "I won't leave you, but what are you gonna do?"

"Sarah, I'll do anything you want," he says quietly. He gives me a quick kiss. "If you wanna live on Earth, I'll be with you. If you wanna come with me to Lorien, we can live there too."

"I don't know yet," I say. "It's a confusing decision."

"We wouldn't have to live all the time on one planet," John says. "We could visit Lorien in the summer, or vice versa."

"My head hurts. Let's talk about this later," I say. John chuckles. I kiss him and we get out of the van.

We're on the road again. It's almost nighttime now. We've made it a third of the way across Mississippi. Patricia decides it's too risky to stay in a hotel now, so we plan to sleep in the van. One thing's for sure, I'm not gonna get a good night's sleep. But then again, laying against John, I just might. Patricia finds an empty parking lot.

"End of the road for tonight, guys," she says. "Nine, you better fall asleep fast. You'll need energy for tomorrow, because you're driving." Nine groans. He shifts to the right and leans against the side of the van. Within minutes he's asleep.

"It's really cramped in here," John remarks. Captain Obvious. "Can I go get some fresh air?"

"Alright, but don't stray too far from the van," Patricia says. John slides out from underneath me and opens the door.

"Come on, Sarah," John says and motions for me to come. I hop out and John closes the door. John eyes an open field nearby. He takes my hand and we walk over to the field.

"I didn't really need some fresh air," John says. He grins. "I just needed an excuse to spend some time with you."

"I guessed you did," I reply. John laughs. We continue walking through the field. It's a cool summer night. A light breeze blows across the field as we walk hand in hand. The skies are clear and the stars are twinkling.

"Sarah, look," John says. He points to a dim star in the distance and I look up.

"What's that?" I ask.

"It's Lorien," John answers. He's mystified by the dim glow in the night sky.

"How do you tell which is Lorien from the millions of stars in the sky?" I ask softly.

"There's just like, a natural pull that we all feel," John says. He turns to me. "Kind of like the pull I feel to you."

"Shut up, Romeo," I say. John laughs. Suddenly he lifts me up and starts twirling me around. My hair gets in my face and I start laughing.

"John, put me down!" I scream. I'm cracking up.

"Excuse me?" John says. He throws me in the air and catches me.

"Jerk! Put me down!" I yell, but I'm too giddy to sound angry. I'm still laughing. John spins me around a few more times and then sets me down.

"I hate you," I mumble. I'm dizzy from the spinning John's done to me.

"I'm sure," John smirks. "That's why you've put up with me for half a year."

"The fact that we're dating does not mean anything, John Smith." I punch him in the arm.

"Owwwww." He clutches his arm in fake pain.

"Man up, you big baby," I tease.

"You're an abusive little girl, you know that?"

"Says the one who was spinning me around against my will!"

"Whatever."

We head back to the van with ridiculous smiles on our faces. Six gives John a questioning look. John just smiles back. John closes the door and sits in the back. I get on his lap again.

"Good night, John," I whisper.

"Good night, Sarah," he whispers back. "Sweet dreams." I lay back on his body and close my eyes. Sweet dreams it will be.


	10. Chapter 10: Love is Sweet

Chapter 10

The road trip is becoming a drag. We could've gone from Georgia to California in four days, but Patricia insists we have to take an unorthodox route. We go back up to the East Coast and actually go north to Boston before heading west again. I swear we've circled the entire Midwest three times. On our way, we obviously stay clear of New Mexico, and take a route through Colorado into the mountains. It's been three weeks since we crashed the boat. Now we're finally headed to California.

It's not just me either; everyone is getting bored. Nine is no longer the annoying macho man we heard all the time. He's resorted to _reading _to pass the time. Of all people. Marina, Ella, and I chat, and Lucy sometimes joins in. And of course, you have the two lovebirds, who never get bored. They don't do anything when they're with us, but when they go off on their own, _everyone _knows what they're doing.

After these three grueling weeks, we're finally coming to the end of our trip. We're driving through Nevada right now and we figure to be at the California coast tomorrow night. We're making a stop at Reno right now, at noon. Patricia finds a restaurant for us to eat at. Marina nudges me.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Can I ask you something for a minute?" she says.

"Sure," I reply. I motion to Patricia that we'll be inside in a moment. "What is it?"

"Do you like Eight?" the question comes so suddenly, it throws me off guard.

"What?" I say idiotically.

"I said, do you like Eight?" There's a little edge to Marina's voice. I've snapped out of my trance. Only now does the question actually register.

"Of course not," I say. "I don't know where you get that idea from."

"Really?" she's glaring at me now. "You're _always _flirting with him."

"Marina, that's just for fun," I explain. "I get bored sometimes, you know?"

"You sound serious when you do it," she says. "It makes me jealous."

"I'll stop if you want me to," I say. "I know you like him."

"You do?" she blushes. "He's really handsome…" I laugh.

"I can tell by the way you look at him all the time," I tell her.

"Yeah, I haven't really made it a secret, have I?" she says.

"You wanna hear my advice for you?" I say. She perks up.

"Oh, sure."

"Go after him, girl." I smile. "I'll tell you something: I think Eight likes you too. Now you just have to take the first step. Pull him aside like you did with me, and tell him."

"I don't know," she says. "I'm kinda shy around him."

"I can help you," I assure. "Marina, I'm actually really happy for you."

"Thanks, Six." She grins.

"No problem, Marina."

We get back on the road again after lunch. Marina purposely sits next to Eight, and I sit next to her. She tries making some small talk with Eight. Eight cracks a few jokes and she giggles. I smile privately. I'm like a sister to John, and a big sister for Marina.

We finally get to California the next day. It's the last day of what's been a lifestyle for the past three weeks. In the evening we'll reach San Francisco and finally get out of our roadtrip misery. I'm already looking forward to throwing the van in the Bay, and I'm sure I would have everyone's support on that.

"Alright, gang, here's the plan," Patricia announces to us. "Obviously we're all tired tonight, so we'll sleep in the car." There's a collective groan from the group. "I know you guys are tired of this, but just put up with it for one more night. Tomorrow Nine can blow his money on whatever he wants us to live in, and we'll get unpacked and settled. But since we've been cooped up in this van for so long, I thought we could celebrate a little bit tonight…" Her words are drowned out by our cheering. Being in a car for three weeks will do that to you.

"Please, let me finish!" Patricia holds up a hand for silence. We quiet down. "Anyway, what I was going to say is that we're gonna go dine out at an expensive restaurant tonight. I figured it's the best way to celebrate without compromising security. So, do you guys have any ideas?"

"John's Grill," John says with a grin on his face. Sarah looks at him quizzically.

"You're not picking that just because it has your name in it, are you?" Patricia asks.

"Nope," John answers. "When Henri and I first started out, we went to California. I remember eating there when I was little."

"Alright, then," Patricia says. "John's Grill. Any of you have money handy?" Eight holds up his wad of 100 dollar bills. Patricia nods in approval.

"That'll be plenty," she says. "Let's go!"

An hour later, we're all seated at John's Grill. The atmosphere is upbeat and cheerful. People talk at nearby tables, waiters hurry around, and occasionally there are shouts from the kitchen. John's sitting next to Sarah. Patricia's by Lucy, who's sitting next to Nine. Eight's sitting by Nine, with Marina next to him. Ella sits next to Marina and I'm by Ella and Sarah.

We sit around and wait for our food. I observe what everybody's doing. John's talking with Sarah. Patricia is on her phone. Nine's talking to Lucy, and I see her laugh when he says something. Marina and Eight are chatting. They've been talking more ever since Marina talked to me. I'm happy for her. Ella and me? We're just chilling, listening to the soft music, and winding down after our trip.

Our food arrives about half an hour later. Everyone immediately stops talking. We're sick of the fast food garbage we've had to eat for the past three weeks. Everyone digs in without a word. When we're finished, we head back to the van. I nudge Marina. She turns to me.

"What?" she whispers.

"When are you gonna tell him?" I whisper back.

"Tell him what?" Marina asks. I make a face. "Oh," she says, understanding.

"It's now or never," I whisper. "Tell him you love him."

"I don't know what to say," she says sadly. "I'm too shy."

"I'll go with you," I say quickly. "Don't worry about it."

"Alright, I guess," she says. I walk up to Eight.

"Hey Eight?" I ask.

"Yeah, Six?" he says.

"Marina wants to ask you something," I tell him.

"Oh, um, ok," he says. I drag Marina over to him.

"Let's wait until Patricia parks the van in our spot for the night, then Marina can tell you," I suggest. Eight nods his head. We get in the van. Patricia drives to the emptiest lot she can find in San Francisco. I tell Patricia that Eight, Marina, and I will be gone for a little while. She nods and I open the door. We step out into the cool night. I lead them over to a dark alley.

"Alright, Marina, you can tell him," I say. Marina takes a deep breath.

"Eight?" she says.

"Yeah?" he answers.

"Well, you know how we've been talking more lately?" she starts.

"Um, yeah?" Eight's starting to look uncomfortable.

"Well, I kinda…I didn't really talk to you just to talk to you," she says sheepishly.

"Oh, um…alright," Eight replies uncomfortably.

"You know…the truth is…I love you." She suddenly hugs Eight. Eight looks even more shocked than I am.

"I loved you from the moment I saw you," she whispers. "That kiss you gave me when I found your Chest was a dream come true."

"Marina…" Eight lets go of her and looks into her eyes.

"Yes?" Marina wipes a tear from her eyes.

"I-I love you too." Eight hugs her. "I'm kinda shy around you too," he admits. "But I love you too. I always did from the moment I saw you."

And thus a new couple is born. We walk back to the van, Eight and Marina holding hands. We're all smiling like idiots. John raises his eyebrows when he sees Eight and Marina holding hands. He gives me a questioning look. This time, it's my turn to just smile at him.

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**You know, just because I'm a huge John/Sarah fan doesn't mean I've forgotten about the other pairings. Lol. I'll do some Six/Sam once they rescue Sam, and Nine/Five while they're gone. Next upload probably in 4-5 days because I uploaded this one so early.**


	11. Chapter 11: A New Home

**Okay, we are back! Happy Easter everybody! Alright, I guess I don't really know why I'm doing this. Maybe it's because I'm just bored. But I'm gonna try a little Q&A session. Once you're done reading these two chapters, leave a question for me in the reviews. It can be about anything. I promise I'll answer every question that's posted in my next upload. I guess if no one does it, I won't do it again...but ask your questions! Oh, and while you're at it, you should leave a review too...**

**These next few chapters are gonna be two chapters from one viewpoint. There's just too much stuff to put it all in one chapter, so I'm doing two chapters from one viewpoint. These two chapters are gonna be John and the next two will be Sarah. Read on!**

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Chapter 11

I wake up to the sound of the panic button on the van. Sarah wakes up when she feels me shift. I look out the windshield where I see Six yelling at Nine and Nine kicking the side of the van. I shake my head and get out of the van.

"Alright, what did the idiot do this time?" I ask Six.

"Nothing really, unless you count FREAKIN THROWING CARS AROUND THE LOT!" Six yells at Nine.

"Hey hey, calm down babe." Nine walks backwards with his hands up. "I just needed a little trainin', that's all. My muscles are getting weak."

"And it was such a smart idea to do it in broad daylight," Six mutters.

"So…explain to me why the panic went off?" I ask.

"He was throwing people's cars around and he managed to hit ours." Six shakes her head. "And now he's trying to say he's pissed off because the van has a panic feature."

I sigh. Nine continues kicking the van and the sound doesn't stop. It starts rocking back and forth now.

"You know, there might be a button to turn it off on the keys," I say sarcastically.

"Good idea, Johnny! Didn't think of that!" Nine runs to the other side of the van and opens the door. I can't tell if he's joking when he said that. I really hope he is.

Patricia stumbles out as Nine gestures wildly for her to get out of the car. She looks at Six and me.

"What exactly is going on?" she asks, looking at the destruction Nine's caused.

"It's a long story," Six says.

Not the best start to our morning. Luckily Nine didn't dent any cars too bad (except ours). After we finish cleaning the mess up, we go and get breakfast. After breakfast we're figuring to go around and explore some places for where we want to set up our permanent base. We drive around San Francisco, looking for a building that's big enough for us to train, live, and be safe in. We don't find any good places before noon, so we grab a quick lunch.

Finally, in the middle of the afternoon, we find it. There's a building for rent right on the tip of the Bay. It's perfect: we have tons of room to build a facility for training, and it overlooks the coastline. We go in and talk to the landlord. Our cover story is that we're all kids of a multimillionaire. Patricia is our aunt, and she inherited all of his wealth when he died. It's amazing how gullible people can be. The landlord has Patricia sign a contract and the building's ours.

"Alright guys, first thing we need to do is start remodeling it to our needs," Six announces. "The building has seven floors. I figure this one will be the lobby, we'll have a floor for living, a floor for recreation, and three floors for training."

"Three? Isn't that a little much?" Eight asks.

"Given the enemy we're going up against, no," Six replies. Eight falls silent. He's thinking the same thing we are.

"Alright, any other objections?" Six asks. No one responds. "Okay then. We'll have to build the living floor first so we have a place to stay tonight. Tomorrow we can start on the recreation and the first training floor, and work our way up from there."

"Don't we need supplies?" Ella asks.

"We do," Six says. "So we'll have to go shopping."

We pile in the van and drive off to a furniture store first. We pick out ten beds, five couches, and a round dining table with nine chairs. It takes multiple trips to bring them all back. We head back to the building and drop our Chests off, along with BK to watch them. Next, we drive to a tool shop. Nine takes the lead on this one, which I'm uneasy with, but it turns out he knows a lot about home improvement. Within the hour our van is loaded with saws, hammers, nails, and everything else to remodel the building. Finally, we head to a home improvement store and buy dishwashers, ovens, washing machines, and when we get back, we start to work.

Six and Nine have taken up leadership roles. Everything is taken up on the elevator up to the second floor. Once we get up there, we're greeted by the sight of a large, empty space with six rooms. An empty kitchen is off to the right with space for a table.

"Okay, first we need to build the bedrooms," Six says. "Figure out who you're rooming with."

"I'm with Sarah," I say. Six marks it down.

"I'll go with Marina," Eight volunteers. Marina smiles at him. Aha. I have it figured out now why they were smiling.

"I can go with Patricia," Lucy says.

"So that leaves Nine, Ella, and me," Six concludes. She and Ella look uneasily at each other, then at Nine.

"I'm alright if you don't want me as a roommate," Nine says casually. "I get a little wild sometimes anyway," he adds with a wink. Six looks at me and points a finger gun to her head. I snicker.

"Ok then, you're sleeping by yourself," Six declares. Nine shrugs.

"Fine by me," he says. We get to work on the bedrooms. We move the beds in, our personal furniture, and our luggage and chests. I just throw everything in my room and leave. Sarah stays in the room and organizes some of the stuff. Next we move the two washing machines and dryers into the spare room. Finally, we set up our kitchen and dining area. The sky is dark by the time we're finished. We're all exhausted. Patricia goes out and buys us Chinese takeout for dinner, and we sit down.

"Alright guys, I think tomorrow we'll get started on the recreation floor and touch up this floor," Six announces.

"Does that mean we're going shopping again?" Nine groans.

"Yeah, but think about it," Six says. "Go wherever you want, Nine. In fact, I'm putting you in charge of recreation. Go blow your money. Big plasma TV, arcade, it doesn't matter, as long as the others are fine with it."

Nine looks happier than a little kid in a toy store. He spends the rest of dinner jittering, obviously thinking about the sick possibilities he could do with the rec floor.

"Hey Patricia, Sarah and I are gonna go for a walk," I say to her. We're both finished with dinner. "Don't we own this part of the beach?" I ask. Patricia nods. "Okay, then Sarah and I are just gonna walk around on the beach. We'll be back by 9."

Another great thing about this building: we have about a half mile of beach that's private property. Sarah slips into her sandals and we walk onto the sand. The cool Bay air blows across the shore, and the moon reflects on the sea.

"I'm liking this place so far," I say to Sarah. She smiles.

"You Loric really can't run out of money, can you?" she says.

"Nope." I grin. "But that doesn't mean I'm buying you anything, little girl." She pouts.

"That's not fair!" she playfully shoves me towards the water. I laugh.

"Maybe if you're good I will." I wink.

"Or maybe you will just out of the kindness of your heart," she responds. She kisses me on the cheek.

"I might consider it." I kiss her on the lips. "You wanna go for a swim?"

"Sure." We strip down to our underwear and start wading in the water. We head out until the water level is up to our chests. Sarah comes closer to me. I hold her in my arms.

"John, guess what." She stares into my eyes. I smile.

"What, Sarah?" I respond.

"I love you." She kisses me. After we break away, I grin.

"You never told me that," I tease.

"Oh really? Well, now you know."

"Sarah, guess what." She beams.

"What, John?" The pale moonlight shines on her face. I lean closer.

"You're gorgeous."

"Tell me something you don't say every day." I laugh.

"I can't help stating facts." She chuckles. We wade around in the water for 10 more minutes, hand in hand. Then we walk out onto the beach, ready to go back.

"John, I'm all wet. I can't put my clothes on like this," Sarah whines.

"Stop complaining, little girl," I reply. I let a soft glow come from my hands. I let it wash over Sarah's body. She giggles.

"What?" I ask.

"It tickles."

"Oh, does it really?" I smile mischievously. I move the light fast over her body. She cracks up.

"John, stop!" She's bursting with laughter. I smile.

"Are you dry yet?"

"Yes! Now stop!"

"Alright, little girl."

"Stop calling me little girl!"

"But you are a little girl." I wink at her. She rolls her eyes and slaps me.

"Ow! Abusive little girl!"

"Shut up, John." She stares at me with fake anger. I scowl at her. We stare at each other for a minute. Then we crack up at the same time. I wrap my arm around her and we start walking. We're still laughing as we head back to our new home.


	12. Chapter 12: Is It a Warning?

Chapter 12

By now, I had almost forgotten about the Mogadorians. It had been weeks since they last attacked, and I doubted the others thought about them either. As Sarah crawled into the bed and snuggled close to me, it crossed my mind. I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind.

"Are you warm?" I whisper to Sarah.

"Always when I'm with you," she replies and winks at me.

"Now who's the Romeo?" I tease.

"Oh, shut up."

"You know it's true."

"Go to sleep, John."

"Your wish is my command," I say in a robotic voice.

"You're so weird," she mutters.

"Look who's talking."

"John!" She sighs in exasperation. I grin like a maniac. She looks at me and shakes her head.

"John, are you trying to make me mad?"

"May-be," I say slyly.

"Well, it's working."

"That's good to know. You want me to keep doing it?"

"NO!" She shoves me and I almost go tumbling over the side of the bed. We've caused some racket. I hear a "Shut up, I'm trying to sleep!" from Nine's room. I pull myself back onto the bed.

"That wasn't very nice, Sarah. You wanna apologize?" Sarah shakes her head.

"Sometimes I wonder if you put a drug into those pancakes we made in Home Ec," she says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because I can't stop loving you, no matter how much of an annoying little bitch you're being." She puts both hands on my face and kisses me. I kiss her back passionately. We break apart and I look into her eyes.

"Is this my reward for being annoying?" I joke.

"Sure, whatever. Don't push me, John," she grumbles and turns away from me.

"Good night, Sarah. I loooovvveee you." She sighs.

"Good night, John. I unfortunately love you too." I smile. Once I know she's asleep, I wrap her in my arms. Then I lay back and quickly fall asleep.

I'm in the government base. I walk through the familiar hallways we trashed on our adventure. A troop of Mogs comes down the hallway and I light up my palms, ready for action, but they walk right through me. Strange. I continue on. I reach the science wing and I stop. I'd recognize that red hair from anywhere. Agent Walker. I turn the corner and there she is, bandaged, but in good enough shape to walk. She's talking to Setrakus Ra. The two of them are watching the experiments being conducted. I creep closer and I'm able to hear them.

"Why not, Commander?" she says angrily. "I don't understand your plan. I could call in an FBI squad and they could be on them by the hour. It's not that hard. They leave a trail wider than a bulldozer, for God's sake!"

Setrakus Ra stares at her. I see a flash of anger in his eyes, but it's replaced by contempt. Agent Walker doesn't notice.

"Please understand, Agent Walker," he says soothingly. "We are following them to find out their plan. As you stated, it is fairly easy to track them. Knowing your enemy is the first step to defeating them. Besides, it is highly unlikely your men would be able to subdue them. Their Legacies have developed and are far stronger than anything your men can throw at them."

"Well, how long is it going to last?" She says exasperatedly. "We've been following them for the past month! They haven't done anything! They've driven around the entire United States, and they bought a building in San Francisco. That doesn't signal anything about what they plan to do to us."

"Please, have patience. It is unlikely they will mount an attack soon." Setrakus Ra strides over to the cameras. I let out a little yelp as he passes through me. It doesn't even seem to register. Either he's doing a really good job acting like he doesn't know I'm there, or… could it be? Could I really be spying on them right now without them noticing? I make a mental note to ask Patricia.

Setrakus Ra cackles.

"Ah, yes, they are doing very well. So you see, Agent Walker, we need not take any action right now. We still have the boy and his father." I gasp at this. I come closer to the screen he's looking at. It's Sam, bloodied and bruised but still alive. Next to him is someone I don't recognize. Then the words from Setrakus Ra a moment earlier register and I realize. It's Sam's father. Malcolm Goode. How did they manage to capture him?

"I know this boy is precious to the Garde," Setrakus Ra continues. "They will most likely mount an attack on this base to rescue them. They are very predictable. They will play right into our hands, and we will trap them. If we attacked them right now, they would know we were following them.

"What about that Mog you also captured?" Agent Walker asks.

"It is highly unlikely they know about Adamus," Setrakus Ra responds. "In any case, he would be a useful weapon for us if we taught him the correct principles again. He seems to have inherited Number One's Legacy, and could be a valuable soldier."

I'm confused now. A Mogadorian with a Legacy? How did that happen? Why is he being held by his own people? Is he a traitor?

"So our plan is done, then," Agent Walker concludes. Setrakus Ra nods. "Once we eliminate the Garde, are we done here? Will the US rule supreme in the world?"

"Yes," Setrakus Ra answers. "We will give you more of our cannons. We can also introduce you to our cloning methods." Agent Walker's eyes widen. Setrakus Ra chuckles. "All in good time, Agent Walker. I will be leaving tomorrow to check on our base in West Virginia. Make sure everything runs smoothly while I am gone." Agent Walker nods. She leaves and Setrakus Ra turns toward where I am.

"Such foolish humans," he snickers to himself. "Per usual. Always worrying about what is happening on _their _planet." He takes a step towards me. Suddenly his face starts distorting.

"John," he says. "John, John. Wake up."

I sit up fast. Sarah recoils back. She was kneeling in front of me. I'm covered in sweat and my heart is pounding.

"Whoa, slow down." Sarah grins. I don't pay attention to her. I need to find Six and Patricia. I throw my clothes on and burst out the door.

"John, wait," Sarah calls after me, a confused look on her eyes.

"I'll explain later," I shout. I frantically knock on Six's door.

"What do you want?" she grumbles from inside.

"I need to talk to you," I say. "It's urgent."

"Let me have my sleep," she grumbles. I sigh. I knock on Patricia's door.

"Come in," a voice says. I recognize it as Lucy's. I walk into their room. They're both dressed.

"Patricia, I need to talk to you," I say.

"John, what is it?" she asks.

"I had a dream," I explain. I tell her all about what I saw at the base. Setrakus Ra, Agent Walker, and their plan. When I'm finished, Patricia nods her head.

"He might be just trying to trick you," she says.

"I don't think it was a trick," I reply. "He's tried to trick me before. In those dreams, he talked to me directly. This was different. He didn't even seem to know I was there. In fact, everyone just walked right through me."

Patricia is lost in thought for a while. Finally, she says, "I think you're developing a new Legacy." For a moment it doesn't register. Then I'm shocked.

"What?" I say. "So this is a Legacy? Spying on people in my dreams?"

Patricia nods. "It's called Somnium. The things you've described are exactly like what Loric with Somnium have had before. It's a pretty rare Legacy, even rarer than invisibility and antigravity. The Legacy was meant to only be used against those who had the intent to harm or kill you. You could spy on them through your dreams and they wouldn't notice. Over time, you'll learn how to control who you spy on and how to turn it on and off."

"Wow." I'm in awe. This might be my most unique and powerful Legacy yet. With it, Setrakus Ra would have no chance of trapping us or planning ahead.

"I'll call a mandatory meeting after breakfast," Patricia says. "We can discuss our next move then."

After breakfast, we sit around the table as Patricia told us to. Patricia opens the meeting.

"Alright, gang," she begins. "We've got some pretty big news today. John, you wanna start?" I clear my throat and explain my dream to the group. When I'm done, Patricia nods.

"So as you can see, we've got some new info on what the Mogadorians are planning to do," Patricia says to the group. "So I've brought us all here to decide what to do next."

Six snorts. "I know exactly what we have to do," she snaps. "If this isn't a good reason to go rescue Sam right now, I don't know what is."

"I agree," I say. Everyone starts nodding their head.

"So I'm guessing we'll carry on with our plan?" Nine asks. "Cause I'm gonna stay here." I roll my eyes.

"Whatever, Nine. Stay here. If I remember right, Patricia and Lucy are also staying. Make sure you protect Sarah."

"So everyone seems to agree that we need to go rescue Sam?" Eight asks.

"Yeah," Six responds. "We'll leave you guys to go rescue Sam. Make sure you guys keep building this place while we're gone."

"Hold on," Patricia says. "It's not as easy as that. John said in his dream that they've been following us ever since we got on dry land. They'll recognize our car if you guys take it. They probably have photos of us too. We need to figure out a way for you to get to New Mexico without being seen."

"Then that gives us the perfect excuse to destroy the van," Six says gleefully.

"And buy a new car? Sorry Six, but they can probably trace the purchase back to us," Patricia responds. Six frowns.

"Still, I wanna destroy it," Six says. "At the very least they won't be able to track us down anymore because we won't have the same vehicle."

"Guys, why doesn't Eight just teleport us to New Mexico?" Ella pipes up. We all stare at her. Then we groan. It was so obvious. All this time, while we were having trouble deciding how to get to New Mexico, the best plan was right under our noses.

"Don't forget about me," Lucy adds. "I can teleport too. With us two, we can probably get you all there with two trips each."

"Lucy, aren't you staying here?" I ask. She nods.

"Yeah, but I can still help you," she says.

"Didn't John say Setrakus Ra would be leaving the New Mexico base?" Eight quips. "In that case, we can carry out our plan and destroy the base. Hit two birds with one stone." Everyone nods their head.

"So it's settled," Patricia says. "It's time for you to bring back Sam Goode."


	13. Chapter 13: A Weird Day

**Okay, we are back. Looks like the Q&A was a huge flop...since no one likes me...so I'm not doing it again. But I'll answer the two questions I got... . . .Five Marina/Eight will be coming in the next two chapters after these, along with Sam/Six. the real number five Neither. Lol I'm joking read my bio I'm too lazy to type it here :P So anyway, here we have Chapters 13 and 14. Basically what happens to Sarah while they're gone. Read on to find out what happens! Oh, and one more thing...REVIEW.**

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Chapter 13

After the meeting that morning, we went back to business as usual. The living floor was touched up, and we started work on the recreation floor. It's sick. Nine's added his taste to the floor, and now we have enough things to make Worlds of Fun jealous. There's a full basketball court, a huge arcade, a giant 152" plasma screen TV, and multiple game controllers hooked up to it. Nine's also bought some smaller TVs and scattered them around the two floors. And that's just some of the things he's added.

The people who are going on the mission plan to leave tomorrow afternoon. Patricia has ordered government-issue remote control activated charges from the Internet. She's made the purchase untraceable. That's what they'll use to blow up the base. If all goes well, they can be back by about midnight. If not, they'll hopefully come back in the morning. It's nighttime now. I'm lying in bed wearing nothing but my underwear. I went to bed early because I'm tired today. I stare at the ceiling, thinking about John. He promised me this would be the last time he would leave me. I put 100% trust in his promises, but even so, it's hard to stomach. We've been reunited for a month now, but I still feel like it isn't enough time after we were separated.

The door opens. It's John. I smile at him as he walks inside. He closes the door and walks over to where I'm lying on the bed.

"Hey, you." He smiles and kisses me lightly.

"Been working those muscles today?" I playfully squeeze his bicep.

"Yeah. I gotta take a shower. I'm all sweaty from the lifting I've done." He winks.

"Gimme a break. That lifting's nothing for you, Loric boy." I grin and he chuckles.

"Well, you don't wanna kiss your Loric boy while he's all sweaty, do you?"

"Of course not. Go take a shower, but don't keep me waiting too long."

10 minutes later he comes out of the bathroom. He's wearing nothing but boxers. I take one look at those amazing abs and the butterflies in my stomach start fluttering. He notices me gawking and smirks.

"You like?" He asks and winks.

"Mm-hmm," I murmur. "Come over here." He crawls into the bed and holds me in his arms. It's the best feeling in the world. I wrap my arms around him and we're intertwined. I give him a kiss.

"I have a confession," I whisper.

"What is it?" He's eyeing my body.

"You're really sexy when you're shirtless," I whisper. I rub my hands down his stomach. God, he's so hot. He smirks.

"You're sexier," he replies. He wraps his hands around my waist. He doesn't do anything else though.

"I can turn this into an argument of who's sexier if you want me to," I tease.

"Let's not," he suggests. I laugh.

"You don't wanna admit I'm sexier." I wink. He snorts.

"We both know I'm the one with the six-pack," he retorts.

"Oh, and that makes you such a bad boy."

"Whatever you wanna think. I gotta go to sleep. I'll need a lot of energy for tomorrow."

I sigh. He looks at me worriedly.

"Are you gonna be alright?" he asks uncertainly. I sigh again.

"I guess I'll be fine," I say quietly. "After all, it's not like it's gonna be a few days."

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" he asks again.

"Don't worry about me, John," I say, although my eyes say otherwise. "Just focus on rescuing Sam."

"I promised you this was going to be the last time. I'm not breaking that promise anytime soon," he says with determination. I kiss him lightly on the cheek.

"I know you won't," I whisper. "I love you."

"I love you too."

I get up early in the morning. I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. Patricia is up cooking breakfast and I help her get it set up. After breakfast, the people going on the mission go into a separate room to review and finalize their plan of attack. Patricia, Lucy, Nine, and I continue working on the building. Nine's finished the rec floor and we've started work on the first training floor. It's meant to be physical themed, and we go out and buy punching bags, gloves, mats, and other equipment. The day goes by quick, and before I know it, John is getting ready to leave.

We're all standing outside the building, on the beach. The people who are going have a grim look on their faces, especially John. I walk over to him to say one last goodbye.

"Goodbye, John," I say, with my face buried in his chest.

"Bye, Sarah. Don't worry. I won't be gone long," he assures.

"Good luck. And be safe," I say softly. A few tears start to form, but I quickly wipe them on his shirt. It's only gonna be a day, tops. So why am I so emotional about this?

"I love you, Sarah. And this is the last time." He lets go of me and walks over to Eight, who is waiting for him to join the group. BK gives me a lick and trots over to them. He changes into a fly and goes inside John's pocket.

"Ok, is everything ready?" Patricia asks. Eight nods.

"Everyone's here, we have the healing stone, the map, and the charges," Eight confirms.

"Good luck, you guys!" Lucy says. She's holding onto Marina and Ella's hands. "I'll try to get in touch with Ella telepathically. Otherwise, stay safe and make sure you rescue everyone!" With that, she closes her eyes and they disappear. I look over to John, Eight, and Six. John locks eyes with me. He mouths "I love you" and they disappear. Suddenly, it's just Patricia, Nine, and me on the beach.

A moment later Lucy reappears. Patricia asks how it went and she reports that the Garde have arrived in the town of Dulce. We quietly go back inside the building. We continue building for a few more hours before we settle down for dinner. It's awfully quiet with so many people gone. It's only been a few hours, but I'm already worried about John. He could be shot at, stabbed at, or captured right as I'm having dinner. I shudder.

After dinner I sit alone on the sofa. Patricia has gone into her room to do some research. Nine wanted to keep building, so he's gone upstairs to finish the training floor. Lucy comes over and sits by me.

"Hey," she says.

"Hey," I reply.

"How's everything been going?" she inquires.

"It's quiet without everyone here," I say.

"I know." She lets out a small laugh. "But hey, at least Nine's still here." I sit up and look at her with a mixture of shock and disgust.

"You-you're kidding, right?" I ask.

"Not really. I mean, all the other Garde are ok, but Nine's good. He's funny. Kinda cute too."

"Does he just act that way around you?" I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm. She shrugs.

"I guess so. I think he might have a crush on me."

I snicker. "Do you consider that a good or bad thing?"

"I don't know. I suppose it could be both."

I drop my sarcastic tone. "What do you mean, it could be both? He might treat you well, but he treats the rest of us like shit. You really want someone like that crushing on you?" As soon as I'm finished, she glares at me.

"You know what, Sarah? Mind your own business. I can decide for myself whether I like Nine or not. As for you, you can just go around sniveling about your own boyfriend. He's not that great anyway."

I lose it. No one, NO ONE, EVER, insults John. I let out an inhuman scream and tackle her. It takes her by surprise and she tumbles to the floor. However, the fight doesn't last long. She's Loric. She has superhuman strength and telekinesis. Within moments I'm pinned to the floor and she's standing over me.

"Too bad your boyfriend isn't here to protect you," she says, her voice full of venom.

"Go to hell," I spit. She slaps me and my cheek is overwhelmed with a stinging sensation. Patricia runs out of her room.

"Lucy, let her go! What is going on here?" she yells. Lucy sneers.

"Oh nothing, just that a little human girl thought she could take on a Garde," she tells Patricia. Patricia shakes her head.

"Lucy, have all of my lessons to you been in vain? The one thing a great warrior never does is misuse their strength. Plus, you two are on the _same _team. You're not doing yourself any favors by fighting with each other."

"Sarah was pissing me off!" Lucy protests. "She made fun of me for my crush on Nine!" So it's true. Nine probably likes Lucy, and Lucy _definitely _likes Nine.

"Lucy, no more from you. Go back to our room. NOW. We'll have a little chat about this later." Lucy obeys and sulks back to their room. Patricia picks me up.

"Are you okay?" She asks. I nod. I feel weak after Lucy used telekinesis on me.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Patricia says. "Lucy can get very…emotional sometimes. Just give her time to cool down. She'll realize the consequences of her actions."

"No, Patricia," I manage. "I'm sorry, but it's not her fault. I was the one who made her mad. I shouldn't have done it. I guess I was just already sick from missing John." Patricia puts a finger to my lips.

"Shh," she says. "Don't think about it. Get a drink of water, and go to your room. It's probably been a pretty wild day for you. You'll need the rest." I don't argue. Patricia gets me a glass of water and I drink it greedily. I go to my room and close the door. I flop on the bed and I'm asleep before I know it.


	14. Chapter 14: Overkill

Chapter 14

My eyes flutter open. I look out the window. It's still dark out. The clock by the nightstand reads 6:28. I try to sit up and groan. My head still hurts from the fight last night. I lay back down. I close my eyes, but I can't go back to sleep. I'm still thinking about John. If things go as planned, he should be back this morning.

There's a knock at the door. Of the three possible people it could be, the only one I would actually like is if it was Patricia. But hey, there's nothing to lose.

"Come in," I croak. I open the door and Lucy walks in. I lay back down. Partially because my head hurts, and partially because I don't feel like hearing what she has to say.

"Sarah?" she asks tentatively.

"I'm alive," I answer. "What do you need?" She shuffles uncomfortably. She closes the door behind her.

"Um, I came to apologize," she says sheepishly. I nod.

"I figured as much," I say. "Well, come on. Let's get it over with. What do you have to say?"

"Sarah, I'm sorry for the way I beat you last night," she begins. "I was really being a bitch. Even though you pissed me off, I really overreacted. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"Well, I accept your apology," I say. She breathes a sigh of relief. "But my head feels like it's been pounded by a brick, no thanks to you."

"Sarah, I'm so sorry," Lucy laments. "Are you going to be all right?"

"Don't worry, Lucy," I respond. "I'll be fine."

Lucy nods and leaves the room. I turn around and sleep for another two hours before Patricia calls me up. We have breakfast and continue working on the building. We're all getting anxious. They should be back by now. We try not to think about it and focus on our work. Lucy and I talk while we're working.

"Do you need help with that?" Lucy asks. I'm having trouble lifting a heavy box.

"Sure," I grunt. Lucy lifts it with telekinesis and sets it down where it belongs. I mutter a thanks.

"So what do you think they're doing now?" Lucy says casually, referring to the Garde on the mission.

"I'm a little worried," I admit. "They should be here by now."

"I'll try communicating with Ella using telepathy," Lucy says. "I'm sure they're fine."

"How come you didn't go on the mission?" I ask.

"To be honest, I didn't really have an opinion about it. Patricia didn't think it was a good idea. She said we needed some people to stay behind and secure our base. I just couldn't imagine being separated from Patricia. I've spent my whole life with her."

"You're lucky. At least you had a choice on whether you wanted to go or not."

Lucy looks at me strangely. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that…oh, never mind," I say. Lucy shrugs.

"If you don't wanna tell me why that's fine," she says.

"Yeah, I'd rather not. How's it going with you and Nine?" The question comes so abruptly, for a moment I'm afraid she'll beat me again. However, Lucy just looks calm and smiles. Behind us, Nine gives us a suspicious glance.

"It's going pretty good. I'm thinking I might confess my feelings for him sometime soon."

"Oh really? That's great."

"Yeah. I don't know how he'll react to it though," she says.

"He is Number Nine. You never know what he's gonna do," I joke, and we both laugh.

By noon, the Garde still haven't returned. Patricia orders Lucy to try to communicate with Ella. Lucy closes her eyes and concentrates. A moment later, her eyes flash open.

"Well?" Patricia asks.

"They're doing fine," Lucy replies. "The base has been destroyed. They managed to rescue Sam and his dad, plus a Mog who's working with the Loric." Nine snorts at this. "It turns out there were a lot more prisoners than they thought," Lucy continues. "They've spent the day sending them back to their homes. They should be back in about an hour."

"Well, you heard her." Patricia addresses the rest of us. "Nothing to worry about. We should settle down and have lunch. After that, we can wait around for them." She turns to Lucy. Lucy is closing her eyes again. "Lucy, is there something else?" Patricia asks nervously. Lucy opens her eyes.

"Yeah, there is," she says worriedly. "Apparently, while they were confronting Agent Walker, she managed to get a message off via radio. She said something like 'Commence Phase Two, attack them'. None of them know what it is, but they told her to warn us. They could be coming for us."

"Oh boy," Nine says gleefully. "I haven't had action in weeks. This is perfect timing. Come at me Mogs, I'll bash your skulls together!" He roars to no one in particular. Patricia shakes her head and Lucy giggles.

We clean up lunch and sit around. I look at the clock. It's 1:15. Only 30 more minutes until they're supposed to come back. We're all bored. Patricia figured we probably wouldn't have enough time to get anything productive done. We have two of the six floors finished. The first training floor needs some touching up, but it's close to being done. Still, it'll probably take two hours to finish.

"How about we go outside and wait on the beach?" Lucy suggests.

"Sure," Patricia says. "It beats being cramped up in here."

We go out onto the beach. The crisp air fresh with a salty sea smell blows across my face. It reminds me of the swim with John that night, under a full moon. I sigh. Soon he'll be here anyway, so I still don't get why I'm missing him. Patricia stands passively on the sand next to me, while Nine and Lucy are a short distance away, talking.

Then it happens. Patricia sees it first. A group of men is walking down our private beach to us. They're about a half mile away. They're dressed in black, with sunglasses and walkie-talkies. I have a bad feeling about this. Patricia calls Nine and Lucy over and points to the men. They nod, both understanding. The men come closer until they're 100 yards away.

"What are you guys doing?" Patricia calls out. "This is private property!"

"Sorry miss, we're putting you under arrest," one of the men says.

"What? For what?" Patricia shouts.

"For strict government reasons," the man answers. He has a crooked shaped face, with a cap in one of his teeth. I decide to call him Cavity Man.

"You can't do that to me," Patricia fires back. "That's unconstitutional to not tell me why."

"All in good time, miss," Cavity Man answers. He points to Nine and Lucy. Lucy's holding on to Nine. "And we're taking these two with us."

"Oh yeah?" Nine growls. He lets go of Lucy and turns toward the group of men. "You and what army?"

Patricia comes closer to me. "I'm expecting violence," she whispers. "As soon as someone fires, get inside the building and lock the door. This isn't your fight." I don't argue. My chance to fight will come in good time.

"Silly you, Stanley Worthington," Cavity Man drawls. "We've been following you ever since you and your filthy race stole that van in Georgia. You make this too easy."

"Well, asshole, I'd like you to know that your base in New Mexico is destroyed," Nine answers smugly. This catches Cavity Man off guard.

"Don't listen to him," one of the other men says. "He's bluffing."

"Come on, now." Nine walks toward them with his arms spread out. A few of the men instinctively pick up their weapons. "Do you really think I'd be bullshitting you? When I say something like this, I mean it." He gives them a malicious grin. It creeps me out too.

"Oh yeah?" Cavity Man answers. "Well, I got a little bluff for you too. I've already called backup. In a few minutes, I'm gonna have two helicopters and a Mogadorian soldier troop coming here. If you don't believe me, take me out right now." He pulls out a pistol from his holster. It's a Mogadorian one.

Nine's smile grows even wider. "Listen, buddy," he sneers. "If you knew what I was capable of doing to you, you would run home to your stupid little Agent Walker right now and resign. You call backup, that might just be the stupidest decision of your life. Do you know who I am?" He points at Lucy. "Do you know who she is? If you do, I'd suggest you start running for your life. I'll give you one chance."

Cavity Man snorts. "Try this on for size, big boy." Then, without warning, he shoots Nine with his pistol. Nine deflects it with his telekinesis and it goes into one of the other men. He convulses violently and lays still. Cavity Man is in shock.

"You had your chance, man." Nine grins. He pulls out his staff from nowhere and extends it to its full size. The men pull out their weapons. Patricia suddenly appears at my side.

"Now!" she urges. Someone fires a shot. Nine deflects it with his staff and starts fighting. Lucy joins in too. Patricia pulls out a gun. I run back inside the building. Thankfully we already installed security measures. No one notices me leave in the heat of the battle. I take the elevator up and watch from a window on the second floor.

The men are no match for the Loric, but soon I hear the whir of helicopter blades. Two attack helicopters emerge from the city. Is the FBI crazy? Have they thought about what people will think when helicopters fly through the middle of downtown? The helicopters reach the Loric. Not far behind them, a group of police cars nears the building. There's no way they can take all of this alone.

I frantically search for my phone. I find it and quickly hit John's number. He picks up on the first ring.

"Hey, Sarah," he says on the other end.

"John, you need to get here RIGHT NOW," I say desperately.

"Why?" he asks. "We're just about to teleport now. What's the hurry?"

"John," I say urgently. "The FBI is here. They've brought helicopters and attack squads. Nine, Lucy, and Patricia are out there fighting them alone. You and the rest of the Garde need to get here to help." He doesn't respond. There's panicked voices in the background, one of which sounds like…what? A Mogadorian?

"Sarah, we just got the message. Ella got the word from Lucy telepathically. We'll be here as soon as possible," he says after a while. Then he pauses. More panicked voices. Then he comes back on the line. "Sarah?"

"Yeah?" I say. I'm watching the fight below.

"How is Lucy doing?" he asks nervously. I look down to where the Loric are fighting and my heart stops.

Lucy is laying on the ground, not moving. She's bleeding badly. Her head is slumped and she's unconscious. Patricia is kneeling next to her, trying to stop the blood flow while Nine stands over both of them, defending everything the government throws at him alone.

"John," I say in a panicked voice. "You need to get here right now."

"We'll be there as soon as we can," he says on the other end. "Ella's lost communication with Lucy. Is something wrong?"

"John, Lucy's bleeding badly," I say desperately. "Make sure Eight brings you and Marina here first."

"We're on it," he confirms and hangs up. I watch below. Nine is doing a good job, but I can tell he's getting weaker. Patricia is sobbing, telling Lucy to stay with her. They're surrounded by helicopters, cars, and men. _Please, John, _I think. _Please don't be too late._

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**And so we have another cliffhanger! Too bad! I'm so evil...not really. Chapter 15 will restart at the beginning of their mission, but this scene continues in Chapter 16. In the meantime, just sit and wait patiently :) and review too...**


	15. Chapter 15: Mission (Im)Possible

**If you love long chapters, these two are for you. I literally spent four hours yesterday typing these out. Obviously, a lot of stuff happens. I'm not gonna give anything away right now...that's kinda why you read it for yourself :) I don't really have anything else to say...updates will probably be slower now because of school and sports. So get reading and I'll try to get writing soon!**

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Chapter 15

The last thing I see is Sarah waving goodbye. Then, the world spins and I close my eyes. When I feel the spinning stop, I open my eyes. We're in the middle of a desert. It's uncomfortably familiar to the one I was in when I teleported from India to here. Eight is beside me, and beside him is John. Marina and Ella stand a few feet away from us, both holding onto Lucy's hands.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Lucy says. We say goodbye to her and she teleports away. We turn to the mountains.

"So now what?" Marina asks.

"I think we're close to the base," Eight says. "It should be just a few miles from here."

"Eight, do we have everything we need?" John asks. Eight looks in the two boxes.

"Healing stone, explosive charges, your phones, the walkie-talkies, the Xlitharis, and your weapons," he confirms. "Although I don't really know why we need a healing stone when we have the magical Marina." He winks at Marina and she giggles.

"Hey, you know I can heal too," John says. Eight nods.

"Yeah, I forgot," he says, but it's obvious he's flirting with Marina. "Let's head out."

Dulce is a small town, almost abandoned and boring. It wouldn't be hard for the government to set up a base here. We go through the outskirts of town. We trudge through miles of sand. Ella spots a fence in the distance. It looks like it's been recently torn up. It's the base. We head out there, hoping to make it by nightfall.

John and I are in the front. Ella is in the middle, while Eight and Marina bring up the rear, talking and laughing. BK trots along John.

"Those two are really in love," John remarks.

"Now you know how we feel when you and Sarah do these things," I mutter.

"Hey, we aren't _that _bad," John says defensively. I stop talking and listen to Marina and Eight. I hear Eight say "Marina, Marina of the Sea" in a weird voice and Marina laughing.

"At least they're just talking," I say. "Not running off to go make out whenever we get a break."

John puts his hands up. "Hey, roadtrips get boring," he says with a laugh. "Besides, you're just jealous because you don't have a partner yet."

I punch him. "Owwwww," he whines.

"Shut up," I say. "Concentrate on the mission. We're almost at the base." It's true. The fence and the complex are coming into view. The others see it too and stop talking. The sun has completely set and the building reflects the eerie glow of the crescent moon.

"Alright, do we all remember the plan?" I ask. Everyone nods. "Good. We're going to review it one last time just in case. Ella and Marina will go with me first. We'll infiltrate and I can make them invisible. Plus, Marina can see in the dark, so that'll make things easier. Once we find the prison cells, Ella can give you guys the signal telepathically. Ella, is your telepathy good enough to work?" Ella nods.

"I think so," she says. "I'll try."

"Alright, that's good," I continue. "If it doesn't work, we have the walkie-talkies, but I'd prefer not to make any noise. John, you and Eight will attack the main entrance when we discover the prison cells. That'll cause a diversion, and everyone will be alerted to the main entrance. Eight will run ahead and come to the prison cells. He can start teleporting the prisoners out and into the desert. I'll come back and help John fight off the soldiers, and Marina and Ella will keep escorting the prisoners. Do you all have your charges?"

"John and I will bring the box in," Eight says. "I'll bring some for you guys to plant and plant some myself along the way. John has the remote. There're 30 charges in all, so six for each of us."

"Good," I say. "Once we know all the prisoners are safe and everyone is out, we'll blow up the place, trapping anyone left and destroying the base."

"Isn't our ship still in the base?" John points out.

"Shit," I mutter. We didn't think of that until now. "I don't know," I admit. "The ship is too big for us to carry out. We'd have nowhere to store it."

"We can use my ship," Ella pipes up. I turn to her. "It's somewhere in Egypt. If we win this war, we can use my ship to go back to Lorien."

"Can't we keep at least one piece of our Loric history?" Eight asks wistfully. I know how he feels.

"I know, it's sad," I say to him. "But now's not the time to be sentimental. We have a war to win. That's all that matters right now."

"So it's settled," John says. "Nothing in the base is gonna be left standing. We'll destroy everything."

We get set in our positions. The base is a big building on the surface, but it actually extends mostly underground. Most of the stuff the government does is under the building. Four and Eight wait behind a sand dune by the main entrance. Marina kisses Eight. They embrace for a while, and they don't let go until I clear my throat impatiently. Marina, Ella, and I approach the building.

"Alright, girls," I whisper. "We're gonna be noticed if we go through any of the entrances. Here's the plan. There's a hatch on the roof. I dropped through there the last time I was here, after Ella disabled Setrakus Ra's cane. We'll go through there. Hopefully it won't set an alarm off. I'll throw you guys onto the roof and then jump up myself."

I pick up Ella and throw her onto the roof. She lands nimbly without a sound. Next, I do the same to Marina. Lastly, I jump onto the roof. I time my landing wrong and land with a loud bang. I curse silently. I look through the glass hatch. Nobody seems to have noticed. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ok," I say to them. "Once I open this hatch, I'll drop through first. I'll go invisible. Then, you guys can drop through. I'll grab your hand and make you invisible. Then we'll start searching."

I open the hatch. No alarms go off. So far, so good. I go invisible.

"Alright, Marina," I whisper. "Jump down." She jumps down. She looks confused for a moment, and then I grab her and turn her invisible. She lets out a little yelp and I put my hand over her mouth. Ella, seeing Marina turn invisible, jumps down as well. I let go of Marina and grab Ella with my other hand. We're all invisible now. Time to start searching.

We're in a hallway. Rooms litter the corridor, with different signs on each of them. From what I remember last time, the prison cells are underground. After wandering around for a few minutes, we find the stairs. The three of us walk down slowly. We find ourselves in a hallway identical to the one we were just in. However, security's a lot tighter here and the rooms are different.

A lone Mogadorian walks down the hallway, his cannon lazily cradled on his arms. Still invisible, I hit him in the windpipe with a punch so he can't cry out. He slumps to the floor and turns to ash.

"Six!" Marina hisses. "We're supposed to be hidden!"

"I couldn't help it," I say with a grin. I put his cannon around my neck and we continue on.

Whatever's down here, it's important. The hallways are roaming with security, human and Mogadorian alike. They're all carrying Mog weapons and we have to push ourselves against the wall every time a group of them comes down the hallway. We walk past the science wing. The prison cells should be up ahead. We turn the corner and stop. Here we are. A row of cells lines both sides of the hallway. There have to be about 50 in all. Five guards are patrolling this hallway. Two are human and three are Mogadorian.

"Ella," I whisper. "We've found the cells. Can you try communicating with Eight?"

"Okay," she whispers back. "Here goes." Her small hand starts twitching in mine. After a moment it stops.

"He got the message," she whispers. "They'll be breaking down the front door anytime now." I press us against the side of the wall. Now we wait.

After about a minute, the alarm starts going off. I hear an explosion in the distance. Bingo. The speaker blares and the guards run to action.

"Code Red," a mechanical voice from the speaker says. "There are intruders attacking the base. All guards to posts. Repeat, Code Red." The guards in the hallway start running towards us. I let go of Ella and Marina and materialize in front of them. The first guard stops, a look of shock on his face. I break his face with a kick and send him crashing into the other guards. I take the cannon off my neck and blast away. Within a minute, there are three piles of ash on the floor and two convulsing humans.

"Ella and Marina," I call. They walk up to me. I point to the keypad on each of the doors. "Try figuring out how to unlock these doors. If nothing works, bust them down. I'm gonna guard this hallway while you two do that. I'll wait for Eight to come here so he can start teleporting the prisoners."

Marina nods and she starts working on the first door. Ella starts working on the opposite side. I turn away from them and face the hallway. The alarm is still going. A guard turns the corner and sees us. I shoot him before he can say anything else. Suddenly I hear a familiar voice.

"Who are you?" it says. "Did you come here to rescue us?"

"Yes, yes," Marina says hurriedly. "There's no time to explain. Get out of the cell and stay behind Six."

"Six?!" It shouts. "Six!" I turn around. For the first time in weeks, a smile breaks out over my face. He's bruised, cut, and messy. His clothes are torn and he has no shoes. But there's no doubt about it. We've found Sam Goode.

"Sam!" I shout. I run up to him and hug him. Then I lift my head and kiss him. He's shocked at what's just happened. He stares at me with a questioning look.

"I missed you." I shrug.

"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Six?" Sam asks. Just then, I hear heavy footsteps. I blast the guard without turning around and kiss him again.

"The real Six is right here." I smile at him.

"That's the Six I know," Sam chuckles. Then his eyes widen. "Look out!"

I deflect the laser with my telekinesis. Then I start firing my own cannon at the troop that's advanced on us. Marina and Ella run up and help too. The troop is defeated and I turn back to Sam.

"Marina's right," I say to him. "There's no time to explain now. Help Marina and Ella save the rest of the prisoners. I'll guard while you're doing that. Number Eight is coming. He has teleportation. He can take two people at a time, but he'll get you all safely out of here."

"Wait," Sam says. "How many have you found?"

I grin. "All of them, Sam," I say. "And we're ready to fight."

A man walks up behind Sam. He kinda looks like Sam, and has Sam's glasses on. Wait a minute. Not Sam's glasses. His father's.

"Malcolm Goode?" I ask nervously.

"Right here," he chuckles. "I know you can't talk now, but I just want to say how amazed and proud I am that you and your fellow Garde have finally accomplished the impossible."

"Thanks." I grin. "Eight should be here soon. Get the other prisoners out."

For the next few minutes, the group works on getting all the prisoners out. I blast anyone who tries to come our way. The supply of guards seems to be limitless. I swear I've killed about 50 guards. Marina and Ella have finished rescuing all of the prisoners except for one. Marina goes to open the last cell. She lets out a loud gasp. I spin around.

"There's a Mogadorian in here!" she cries. I look at her strangely.

"Marina?" I say to her gently. "Are you sure it's a Mog?"

"Positive," she answers. The Mog walks out into the open. He looks human for the most part, except for the fact that his eyes are completely black. A dead giveaway that he's a Mogadorian.

"What's a Mog doing prisoner to his own race?" I ask. Sam and Malcolm seem to know him.

"Six, this is Adamus," Sam explains. "I can't tell you very much now, but although he's a Mogadorian, he's on our side. Trust me."

"Sam, are you sure this isn't a trick?" I ask suspiciously.

"Six, you have to believe me," he pleads. "Like I said, I'll explain later. I wouldn't lie about something like this. Please."

I sigh. "Alright, Sam. You better not be wrong." I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and Eight is standing behind me.

"Bout time you got here," I grumble.

"I can't help that this place is crawling with Mogs," he responds. "Now, do you want to sit here arguing or should I teleport these prisoners out?"

"How's John holding up?" I ask.

"He's doing pretty well," Eight replies. "He took off upstairs. He's fighting and planting charges. Speaking of planting charges, I brought the remaining 10 for you. John took six and I took the rest. I planted a few more along the way."

"Good," I reply. I gesture to the prisoners. Most are human, save for the Mog. "Get these prisoners out of here as quickly as possible. We'll defend the rest of them while you're at it." Eight nods and walks over to the prisoners. He takes a few steps before stopping in his tracks and turning around.

"One more thing. I found this in an office. It looks like it might do something useful," he says, handing a white tablet to me. I examine it as Eight takes the first prisoners and teleports away. It's identical to the one we have to track the Garde and our ships. Unfortunately, we don't have a laptop right now, but we can hook it up once we get back.

I turn on my walkie-talkie and radio John.

"John," I call. "Eight's here. He's getting the prisoners out and the rest of us are defending them. How are you doing?"

"I couldn't be better," he replies. There's a bit of static, followed by what sounds like a stab and a man choking. He comes back on. "Did you guys find Sam?"

"We found Sam," I answer. "He has his dad with him too. They're with the other prisoners. Do you wanna talk to him?"

"Sure," John replies. I motion for Sam to come over and hand the walkie-talkie to him. "Sam?" he asks.

"John!" Sam exclaims. "Is it really you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" John responds. There's a bark. "BK wants to see you too."

"Aw, man," Sam says. "It's been so long since I've seen all of you."

"Sarah's at our base in San Francisco," John tells him. "Everybody's together and alive. Can't talk more now. I got company." We lose the connection.

"Wow," Sam says in wonder. "It's gonna be so weird to see all of you in one place again."

"Dream later, you nerd." I punch him playfully in the arm.

"You're making me wish Miss Badass Six didn't come save me," he teases.

"Am I? That's bad," I reply with a wink. I head into the back of the hallway and plant two charges. "I'm gonna go around and plant the rest of these," I call to Marina and Ella. "Can you guys guard while I do that?" They nod. "Good."

I sprint around the complex, killing guards and planting charges. I run out of charges. I make a couple of quick calculations and I think we've planted all of them. I get back to the prison block where Eight is transporting the last of the prisoners.

"Six, this is a Mog," Eight says to me, staring suspiciously at him.

"We'll have to go on Sam's word," I say quickly. "He can explain later."

Reluctantly, Eight teleports the Mog out. Then he comes back for us. I radio John.

"John," I call. "Are you done with your charges?"

"Yep," he answers. "What about you guys?"

"We're done," I tell him. "All of the prisoners have also been teleported out. We're about to teleport out. Get to the prison block as quickly as you can."

"Got it," John says. He cuts the connection and I turn to Eight.

"Get Marina and Ella out first," I say. "Then come back for John and me."

"Wait," Eight says. "Before we leave, I want to do something. And we'll do it once John gets here."

"What are you gonna do?" I ask.

"I want to take some of the ship with us," Eight says. "If we're blowing this place up, we should at least keep some of the ship and remember it."

"Eight, we don't have much time," I say impatiently. "There are still guards swarming this place. Plus, they'll discover the charges soon and might be able to disarm them. We have to get out _now._"

"I'm with Eight," Ella says. "It won't take long. And if we win this war, we need something to remember it by."

"I think we'll remember it just fine with all the bloodshed," I snort. Just then, John comes sprinting.

"So we're leaving?" he asks us.

"Well, not yet. Eight here wants to take some of the ship with us," I say, casting a sideways glance at him.

"I'm all for it," John says. "Why don't we do it now?"

"Because Six doesn't want to. She's afraid it'll take too much time," Eight explains.

"Well, we've already wasted time arguing about this," Marina pipes up. "Let's just go do it."

"Four to one. Overruled," Eight says gleefully. I sigh and shake my head. We head out into the base.

The building is vast. I explored it a little bit when I was planting charges, but I didn't pay attention to any of the rooms. None of us knows where we're going. And we're wasting time every time we turn down the wrong hallway. We're about to go back from our 11th wrong turn when we come around the corner and run into Agent Walker and Agent Purdy.

John reacts first. He pins Agent Walker against the wall with telekinesis. Eight does the same to Agent Purdy.

"Alright, where is our ship?" John snarls.

"You'll never get it out of me," Agent Walker smirks. John slaps her.

"You're gonna lead me to our ship, do you understand?" he slaps her again. "And if you don't lead me to the right place, or I think you're tricking me, I'll choke the life out of you."

"No." Agent Walker tries to struggle, but it's useless.

"Do what they say," Agent Purdy says. "You have nothing to lose."

Agent Walker hangs her head. John releases her and walks behind her. Agent Purdy walks up next to her and they lead us to our ship. Walker keys in the code and the door hisses open. I gasp in amazement. Our ship is chained to the walls of the hangar. It's rusty and old, but I still remember it as ours. The Loric Garde symbol is painted on it and glows in the dark room. Eight jumps up to the ship. He hangs on the handle and rips off the Loric symbol.

"This is all we need," Eight says. He jumps down and we look at it. It's faded, but that's no problem. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Walker and Purdy trying to get away. I spin around and freeze them with telekinesis.

"We need to get out of here," John says.

"Go ahead," Walker spits. "You aliens aren't tough at all. You're always running and your powers aren't that great anyway."

John turns towards Walker. There's fire in his eyes. He walks up to her and rips her from my telekinetic grip. He slams her against the wall.

"Listen, lady," he growls. "You're the one who's a coward. You need help from your Mogadorian 'friends'. You know you can't take us down alone. And even with help, you still can't. You need your great friend Setrakus Ra to subdue us. You're worthless. Complete and utter bullshit."

"I'm doing this for my country," Agent Walker replies. "For my government."

"This isn't about your fucking government anymore!" John roars. "Don't you understand?! The Mogs are aliens too! But you're on the wrong side! As soon as they eliminate us they'll kill you and your stupid government and take over this planet!"

"You think I believe that?" Walker chuckles. Her hand snakes down to a button on her belt. She presses it and we hear static. "It's too late to save your friends anyway. K-Squad Units Three, Four, and Five, commence Phase Two. Repeat, commence Phase Two."

"You sicken me," John growls. "There's no hope of convincing you anyway." He suddenly pulls out his dagger and stabs her. She chokes and he lets her fall to the ground. A stunned silence is in the air.

"You-you killed her," Purdy stammers.

"What are you gonna do about it?" John asks. He turns to us. "Let's go." Eight takes a moment to understand him, and then nods furiously. He takes Marina and Ella and disappears. John has lost his menacing glare. I walk up to John.

"John?" I ask softly. "Are you okay?" He shakes his head.

"No, Six," he replies. "I'm not. I just killed a human in cold blood. I don't know what went through me."

"Anger?" I suggest.

"I-I lost control," John stutters. He's holding his head in his hands. "Oh my God, what have I done? Nobody deserves to be killed like that."

"It's okay, John," I whisper. "You'll be fine. Just don't think about it."

"I-I'm sorry," he whispers back. "I don't know what got into me."

"You'll be fine. Think about it. We're done here. After this we can go back and you can see Sarah." He smiles at this.

"You're right, Six. We can." Then, Eight appears.

"Are you guys ready?" he asks nervously. He's still staring at John. We look at each other and nod.

"We're ready."

A half hour later, we're all standing five miles away from the base. No one has gotten out yet. I look at John.

"Where's the detonator?" I ask. He pulls it out of his pocket.

"Here," he says, handing it to me. "I don't wanna press it." I nod. I look at the remote. It's simple. One button for detonate and one for disarm. My finger hovers over the detonate button, and I press it. We watch as 200 pounds of C-4 explodes at once. It lights up the night sky and throws light across our faces. It's like a grotesque firework show. We hear screams inside the base. The fire burns everything, and within moments, the entire building is consumed with flames. Most of the prisoners have fallen asleep.

"Let's sleep here tonight," Eight suggests. We all nod. We're too tired to argue. We lay down on the desert sand. I close my eyes as the fire dies out and the building collapses.


	16. Chapter 16: The (quote) Fall of Five

**I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter yet. It does feature the introduction of Adamus, so there'll be tons of spoilers if you haven't read Fallen Legacies and Search for Sam. That being said, if you read this chapter first, you probably won't have to read those two books anyway, so...I don't know. We're also gonna pick up where the cliffhanger left off in Chapter 14 here.**

* * *

Chapter 16

I wake up to the scorching heat on my face. I sit up. The sun is just starting to rise. My neck hurts. I look around. John's already up and so is Sam. They're huddled a few feet away, talking. Behind me, all of the 50 some prisoners lay on the sand, still sleeping. Sam's dad, Eight, Marina, and the Mog lay together. That reminded me. Sam has some explaining to do.

I walk over to where John and Sam are. Sam looks up and smiles.

"So, whatcha guys talkin' about?" I ask.

"Nothing really, just filling in Sam on what's happened since he was captured," John replies.

"Is it really true?" Sam asks. "Did you really teleport from India to New Mexico?"

"Yeah, why?" I respond. "That's like, not even the most intense part of our adventure so far."

"And Setrakus Ra had a whip that turned you all to stone?" Sam's eyes light up. I wince.

"Yeah, Sam, but it's not really that cool when you're the recipient of the whipping," I say sarcastically. Sam hangs his head.

"I'm sorry," he says. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah. I don't really know why you'd ask that, because it's been about a month and a half since that happened."

"I'm sorry," he murmurs. "I was worried about you." John snickers and I punch him.

"Owwww," he laments. "You don't have to hurt me for being happy you've found your partner," he adds with a smirk. I roll my eyes.

"You two aren't getting along, like usual," Sam observes.

"You can say that again," I reply. "You should hear the crap he's telling Sarah every day. At least you didn't have to put up with it in a car for three weeks."

"Wait, but I thought John loved you and Sarah," Sam says confusedly. John winces and looks down.

"Um, Sam, John doesn't love me anymore," I say softly. Sam looks shocked. "Yeah. After we rescued Sarah from the base, we all felt it'd be wrong if he went back to me. Sarah's his true love. They're meant for each other."

"Oh," Sam says. "Sorry. I didn't know."

"It's alright," I say to him.

"Yeah, now you have Six all to yourself," John jokes. He's gone from dwelling in the past to a joker in a moment's notice. I roll my eyes.

"I love you, Six," Sam says. It comes so abruptly we both turn to look at him. "Yeah, if you haven't noticed, I have for a while," he says awkwardly. "They tortured me every day while I was in that cell. The only reason I didn't give in was because I had something to live for. That something was you, Six. I always knew one day you and John would come and rescue me."

I blush madly. To be honest, I was thinking about Sam during the road trip too. I'm in love.

"Sam, I love you too," I say. I come closer and kiss him. It's a wonderful moment. We break free after a moment. I look deep into his brown eyes. I smile at him. He smiles awkwardly and blushes.

"You're cute when you do that," I whisper. He laughs nervously.

"You're really pretty, Six," he says. I find myself blushing too. John clears his throat. We look at him.

"Are you done?" he asks. He's tapping his foot impatiently. I roll my eyes.

"I never do this to you when you and Sarah make out," I say.

"Point taken," John says.

"Hey, guys." Eight walks up to us. He's holding Marina's hand. "What's going on?"

"Nothing really," John says and winks at me. For the third time in as many moments, I roll my eyes at him. Men are so annoying sometimes.

"Did you guys sleep well?" Marina asks.

"Pretty good," I reply. "I'm sure you did," I add with a wink. Marina blushes.

"Excuse me for asking, but, who exactly are you two?" Sam asks. We turn to him. I forgot he didn't know anything about us yet.

"This is Number Eight," I tell him, gesturing to Eight. "He's pretty powerful. He can shape-shift and teleport." Sam looks at Eight in awe and Eight gives him a small smile.

"Nice to meet you," he says, extending a hand out to Sam. Sam shakes it. "And you are?"

"Oh, um, Sam Goode," he says. "I'm a friend of John and Six."

"And this is Number Seven," I continue. "She goes by Marina. She can breathe underwater, heal, and see in the dark. She's also Eight's girlfriend."

Marina stares daggers into me and I smile. She shakes Sam's hand.

"Ella's over there," I say, pointing to her sleeping body. "She's Number Ten. Before you ask, there was a second ship that left Lorien. It was filled with the Chimaera and carried her and her Cepan, Crayton, on it."

"Where's Crayton?" Sam asks. I don't answer. "Oh," he says, comprehending.

"That's all we have here," I say, trying to change the subject. "Number Nine's back at our base in San Francisco."

"He's a loser," John adds.

"He's there along with Number Five," I continue, ignoring John. "Number Five goes by Lucy. Her Cepan is the only one alive. Her name is Patricia. They're there along with Sarah."

Ella has just woken up and comes over to where we're standing. Sam goes and wakes up his dad, but the Mog wakes up as well. That's another thing I forgot. I doubt anyone trusts him. Sam brings the two of them over to us.

"Okay, Sam," John says. "Tell us why we shouldn't vaporize this thing into oblivion right now."

"It's a long story, John," Sam answers. "I still don't know all about it. To be honest, it'll be better if we let him talk."

"Water," the Mog croaks. It's the first time he's spoken. We all look at him with mild surprise.

"That's a bit of a problem in the middle of a desert," Eight observes.

"It won't be a problem. John, get a cup from our pack," I order. John goes over to our stuff. I look in the sky. A few clouds. Not ideal, but it'll work. I raise my hands towards the heavens. Within moments, a small rainstorm forms. It's a light drizzle. John collects some drops in the cup and gives it to the Mog. He drinks it like…well, a Mog would drink it. It's then we all realize how thirsty we are. We grab more cups out of our supplies and fill them up with water. When we're all done, I make the storm dissipate.

"Alright, Mog," I say to him. "You've gotten your water. It's time for an explanation. Let's start with your name."

"My name is Adamus," he says in a low voice. "Adamus Sutekkh. I am the son of the great general Andrakkus Sutekkh of the Mogadorian army."

"Great," John says. "We've got the son of an important general. As if we needed more Mogs painting targets on our backs."

"Let him talk," I say to John.

"Before Number One died, I was just an average Mogadorian," Adamus continues. "I shared the dreams of all to conquer this planet. Since I was the son of the general, I was promised Washington DC to rule as my own once we took over."

"That's really cool," Eight remarks sarcastically. "You get your own city. What does that have to do with us?"

"I'm continuing," Adamus says. He seems unfazed by our taunting and our condescending voices. "I traveled to Malaysia as part of the group sent to kill Number One. Since I was young at that time, I was not allowed to take part in the actual kill. It was swift. Two Loric against 30 Mogadorians are not great odds. There was something about the death that sickened me. I couldn't stand watching it. It kept replaying in my mind and I would try pushing it out. A Mogadorian is not supposed to fear death and blood."

"How many times have we heard that before," John mutters. Adamus doesn't hear him.

"When we arrived in Washington DC again, my father said he had a special task for me. I was taken into the science lab, where One's dead body was laying on a table next to a chair with wires attached. I was hooked up to the chair and Dr. Anu initiated the experiment. I went into a dream world. Dr. Anu had successfully merged One's conscience into my brain. The goal was to learn from One's memories so that we could exploit the Garde's weaknesses in the future."

"So you have One in your head?" Eight asks. "One? Are you there?" he shouts.

"She is gone," Adamus says quietly. "But that is at the end. Where did we leave off? Ah yes, the experiment. One took me through her memories. All the times that she had on Lorien, moving to Earth, and the times she had on Earth. I was changed by her memories. She was also inside my head, narrating. I saw how cruel the Mogadorians were. I saw her last stand replayed in my head and I couldn't stand it. One persuaded me to help the Garde. I refused, because death faced me if that happened."

I'm listening intently now. We're all intrigued by this story. Even John and Eight have stopped commenting.

"When I woke up, three years had passed. My father had ordered Dr. Anu killed because of the coma I was in. I lied to him and said the experiment failed. Everything had changed since then. My father had an adopted son, Ivanick Shu-Ra. Before the experiment, Ivanick had been slightly stronger, but I had been smarter than him. While I was in my coma, he worked to gain the approval of my father. He trained every day and soon he became worthy of a Mogadorian warrior. My father had taken favoritism to him while I had been in my coma."

"After a few weeks, a breakthrough came. The Mogadorians had tracked down Number Two in England. Ivanick and I traveled to London and arrived at the Mogadorian base there. I stayed in the base while Ivanick and the rest went to kill Number Two's Cepan. I went into the techie's room. They were trying to track down the location that Number Two and her Cepan were supposed to meet at. I did some tracking while they were gone and found that Number Two was hiding in the building directly next to us. There was no time to close the screen, so I minimized it, knowing eventually they would find it. All this time, One's voice was in my head, urging me to save Number Two."

"I quickly went into the building next to the base. I found Number Two. She was young, only about 12 at the time. I told her we had to get out, quickly. She refused to leave because she was waiting for her Cepan. Then, the Mogadorian troops found us. Ivanick, being thick-headed, accused me of trying to kill her first. Number Two pulled out a gun, but it was no use. They knocked her down and the gun landed at my feet. I did nothing with it, and she accused me of leading them to her. It was over. A Mogadorian stabbed her and took her pendant."

"Why didn't you do anything?" I ask softly.

"Yeah!" John says angrily. "It's always about you, isn't it?" Adamus chuckles bitterly.

"The irony of what you just said. Number One said the same thing in my head when it was all done. She said I could have kicked the gun to her, at least given her a chance. I felt so ashamed of myself. When we came home, my father praised Ivanick, while ignoring me. But the worst was yet to come."

"I was required to train for a year. I was mediocre at it. One instructed me in my head on how to fight. I was and have never been a good fighter. Finally, the time came again. The Mogadorians suspected a Garde living in Kenya. My father dispatched Ivanick and I personally to Kenya. He said to me, 'Don't fail me this time, Adamus.' We went to Kenya undercover as aid workers. When the children came to get immunizations, we instructed them to remove their shoes and socks. We were looking for the scars. I noticed some teenagers playing basketball. I went over to Hannu, who turned out to be Number Three."

"He was wearing long socks. That was a telltale sign. Ivanick asked if he had gotten a shot. He said he was healthy enough not to. He didn't realize we were Mogadorians as Ivanick kept asking him questions. One told me to warn him, to get through to him. Ivanick asked the aid workers where he lived. He planned to attack that night."

"I went to his hut ahead of time, to try to warn him to run. Ivanick caught me. I let some words slip and he finally realized I was a traitor. It was at that point that I knew I could never go back to helping the Mogadorian cause again. We fought in the woods before I finally subdued him. But by that time it was too late. They had already killed his Cepan and he had taken off running through the woods. I reached the ravine where he had jumped over. I saw my father run his sword through him and take his pendant. He looked at me across the ravine with pure hatred in his eyes. Ivanick had come through and threw me into the ravine."

"Wouldn't you have died?" Ella asks.

"I wish," Adamus says bitterly. "One was in my head again, persuading me to get up. I felt like a failure. I was of no help to either side. I came back to the aid workers and just worked for the next few weeks. One disappeared in and out. I used to be able to see her all the time. Now she disappeared randomly. I found out One's conscience was dying in my head. It was at that point I knew I needed to get back to Washington DC.

"I was lucky. One of the wealthy aid workers happened to be coming back to the US to visit. He paid for my plane passage and before long, I found myself on the front steps of Ashwood Estates, my home for the first fifteen years of my life. My father made one mistake. He told my mother that I had died valiantly in battle, not that I had been thrown off a ravine because I was a traitor. My mother was overjoyed to see me and my father had to go along with the act. My father gave me one week to prove my worth or he would kill me. I told him I could work as a Searcher, one who searches for stories on the web having to do with the Garde. I visited the lab a few times and I found out that there was a new doctor, Dr. Zakos, who was in charge of the science lab. I volunteered for one of his mind transfer experiments to try to save One. I grew frustrated of the searching system and intentionally botched it. My father was about to kill me, when Dr. Zakos appeared and suggested me for the experiment, citing that it would probably kill me anyway. While I was being hooked up, Dr. Zakos told me about how they had rounded up all the Greeters. I found out the Greeters were the humans who helped the Garde when they first arrived. The Mogadorians had been performing experiments on them, and most of them had died, except for Malcolm Goode."

"When Dr. Zakos hooked me up, I went unconscious again. I found myself sitting on the California beach for the last time with One. We were sitting together. One told me that she was about to fade. I refused to accept it. As a parting gift, she gave me her Legacy of creating earthquakes. We shared a kiss and she was gone. I woke up. I broke out of my bonds and killed Dr. Zakos. A Mogadorian squad was already storming the lab. I managed to free Malcolm and create an earthquake to seal them off. Malcolm and I escaped, but because of the experiments, Malcolm didn't remember anything about his life. My father had told me that Ivanick was on special assignment in New Mexico, so we headed there. On the way, I helped Malcolm remember his life by asking him questions while he helped me train my Legacy."

"Wait a minute," John says. "_You _have a Legacy? I don't believe it. Show me." Adamus nods. He stares at a sand dune in the distance. He stomps his foot and we feel a tremor. The sand dune collapses.

"I can also create smaller quakes and larger ones," Adamus says.

"Wow. He might actually be some use to us now," Eight says. Marina punches him in the arm and tells him to be quiet.

"We arrived at the base in New Mexico. We were trying to find Sam Goode. Malcolm went and found him, but Ivanick led a group of guards to find me. I created a quake that destroyed the room and snapped his neck. That part of the base was falling apart at that point. I found Malcolm and we tried to escape. A portion of the roof fell off, trapping us. The guards caught up to us and knocked us out. I woke up alone in a damp cell. I don't know why they didn't kill us. I didn't know what they had done to Malcolm. I spent a month in the cell in silence. One day they came to take me. I was rounded up with Malcolm and Sam and taken to an interrogation room. I came face to face with our Great Leader himself, Setrakus Ra. He found out who we were and then let us live. I don't know why. One month later, we're rescued."

A silence hangs in the air for a few moments. We're all digesting his story. It's truly incredible.

"So you're on our side, right?" John asks.

"Because I have been shown the horrors of my people and I cannot go back to them," Adamus answers, looking into the distance. The sun is up now. It's been about half an hour. Most of the prisoners are up. A few of them are asking questions.

"We'd better silence the prisoners and get them back to their homes," I say to everyone in a low voice. We form a huddle.

"It's interesting," Ella whispers. "What do the Mogadorians want with them in the first place? Do they know too much? Is that why they were captured?"

"Who knows," I whisper back. "But we can't have them talking about their experience. The government already knows where we are and we can't afford to give them any more information about us."

"How are you gonna keep fifty-some people silent about what they've just experienced?" John asks. "Somebody's gonna let it slip. Somebody's bound to find out."

"We'll try our best," I whisper. We walk over to the prisoners. They notice us and become alert.

"Attention everyone," John says. "As you know, you have all been rescued and the government base is no more. We will get you back to your homes and families as soon as possible. But we ask one thing: please keep this silent. Were you told why you were captured?" A few people shake their head and some people murmur. "I'll take that as a no," John says. "But we ask you keep everything here silent. We're sorry, but we can't tell you anything. As soon as my friend over here teleports you to your homes, forget about this. Live on your life. Make up a lie. Whatever you do, don't tell. And trust me, if you do, no one will believe you."

John walks over to Eight and whispers something in his ear. Eight nods. He walks over to the prisoners.

"Alright, who wants to go home first?" he asks the crowd. "I can take two people. Any volunteers?" No one steps forward. Eight shakes his head. "Let's try this again. Who wants to GO HOME?" This time, a nervous couple steps forward. "Alright, where do you guys live?" Eight asks.

"Um, we both live in Charlotte," the man stammers. Eight walks over to John.

"Where's Charlotte?" he whispers.

"North Carolina," John whispers back. "Here's a picture." He pulls up a picture of Charlotte on his phone. Eight nods and walks back to the couple.

"Before we go, I have one thing to ask you," Eight tells them. "Why exactly were you captured by the government?"

"How would I know?" the man babbles. "My wife and I are into aliens. We love that kind of stuff. One day we did a little prank by masquerading as aliens in trench coats around the city. Next thing you know, FBI shows up and we're thrown in a van and driven to New Mexico."

Eight glances back at us. I look at John. He knows what I'm thinking. I look back at Eight and nod. Eight steps forward.

"Alright guys," he says. "I'm gonna bring you guys back. Just close your eyes, it'll be like the first time. Once you feel the spinning stop, open your eyes and BAM! Charlotte, North Carolina." He takes their hands and disappears. After about two minutes, he reappears. "Okay, who's next?" Eight asks.

Our morning is spent like this. We stand around while Eight teleports prisoners back to their hometowns. We ask the prisoners why they were captured. It's a similar story each time. They're all fans of alien conspiracy theories. They took it a little too far and the government noticed. The government overreacted and threw them all into the base. After a few hours, it's just us, Sam and his dad, and Adamus waiting. My stomach growls. We didn't have breakfast and now it's almost noontime. We're sweating from the midday heat of the desert.

Eight returns. The last of the prisoners have been sent.

"So what now?" he asks.

"I guess we should go home," Marina returns. He walks over and gives her a kiss and she smiles.

"Yeah, we probably should," John agrees.

"Let's get something to eat," I suggest. "I'm starving. I don't want to wait any longer." Only then do the others realize how hungry they are. I hear groans from the group.

"Six is right," Sam says. "I'm dying for some food."

"You're always hungry," John retorts.

"What?" Sam says. "I didn't hear you."

"Nothing," John says. He casts a sideways glance at me. I chuckle.

"Sorry for asking, but where is your home?" Malcolm asks.

"San Francisco," I answer. "We bought a building and we have it all to ourselves. It's a pretty nice place."

"Pretty nice is an understatement," John snorts. "Nine's bill is probably bigger than most people will ever have in their lives."

We walk back into Dulce. We eat at a shabby Western style restaurant. The food gives Sam diarrhea and we sit around for 20 minutes waiting for him to get out of the bathroom. I notice Ella closing her eyes. She opens them after a minute.

"Guys, I just got in touch with Lucy," she says. "She asked when we're gonna be there. I told her we're done and that we'd be there soon. I also told her about what Agent Walker said last night."

"What did she say?" Eight asks. "I don't remember."

"She said 'Commence Phase Two.' I don't know what that means, but I warned them just in case," Ella says.

"Damn," I say. "I totally forgot about that. What do you suppose she means by that?"

"I don't know," Ella says quietly. "But it can't be good."

"How does telepathy work?" Adamus pipes up. We stare at him weirdly. "Oh, um, I was just curious," he says sheepishly.

"I think if you have the telepathy Legacy, you can initiate a conversation with other Garde," Ella explains. "All Garde have the ability to reply to a conversation. But only the ones with the Legacy can initiate one. They're also better at replying. At least, that's my theory." Adamus nods. He seems genuinely interested.

"Agent Walker's words are just more reason for us to get back," John remarks. He walks to the bathroom door. "Sam Goode! Are you done yet?" There's a groan from the bathroom.

"Almost," Sam moans. We wait for five more minutes before he comes out. "I am never ordering chili cheese tacos again," he goes on.

We walk back out into the desert. We find a spot where it'll be impossible for anyone to notice us gone. Eight steps in front of us. He's about to take Marina and me when I hear "Somebody's Watching Me" playing. John's phone is ringing. I still remember the irony of the ringtone that Henri installed. John picks up. It's Sarah.

John listens and talks intently on the phone for a minute. Then he turns to us.

"Bad news," he says grimly. "Sarah's hiding in the building right now. Nine, Lucy, and Patricia are outside fighting a freakin' attack squad. They brought helicopters, guns, and cars. We need to get there right now."

"Is it the Mogadorians?" Adamus asks.

"No, the FBI," John answers. He goes back on the phone. Meanwhile, Ella has closed her eyes again. When she opens them, she confirms what we just heard from John. She closes her eyes again, but suddenly they burst open.

"I've lost my connection with Lucy!" Ella exclaims. I gasp. If Ella's lost her connection with Lucy… I don't want to think about it. I unconsciously look down at my ankle. John looks at us and goes back on the line.

"Sarah?" he asks. "How is Lucy doing?" Sarah speaks some words on the other end. Then he turns to us. "Lucy's badly injured and unconscious," he mutters. "We need to get there NOW."

"I can take two," Eight says. "We'll have to take a healer and a fighter. I'll come back and bring the Garde first, and then Sam, Malcolm, and Adamus."

"John and I will go," I volunteer. John looks at me and nods. Eight takes our hands. I close my eyes and prepare for the dizzying sensation. A few seconds pass, then the spinning stops. I open my eyes and walk straight into chaos.

I'd say chaos isn't even enough to describe it. It's more like complete hell. We're right in the middle of a battlefield. I see two helicopters in front of us, hovering over the sea. At least 10 cars cut off the beach. I hear the chatter of machine gun fire and instinctively deflect it. Then I spot Lucy and Patricia.

"John!" I yell. "Get to Lucy!"

"I'm on it!" He yells back. He sprints over to Lucy and puts a hand on her chest. I turn back to the battle. I spot Nine in the distance, taking on FBI agents with his staff. I go invisible and knock out a few of the agents. Nine looks confused before he sees me reappear.

"Bout time you got here!" Nine yells. More machine gun fire. Nine deflects it with his staff and I do it with telekinesis.

"Eight's bringing the rest!" I yell back. "What's our plan?"

"Take out anything in black that isn't our friend," Nine shouts. He makes a run for the building. I don't know why. I turn my attention to the cars. There are numerous FBI agents ganging up on me. John is still healing Lucy. Looks like it's solo time.

The one in the lead tries to taze me. I flick the bolt effortlessly back at him. He spasms and drops to the ground. The rest of the agents have Mog weapons. I spring up in the air and pull out my own Mog cannon, raining lasers on the mob. A few of them drop like flies. More men are coming out of the cars. The driver stays in each of them. I hear a whirring noise and the roof flips up, becoming mounted machine guns.

"Is that even necessary?" I mutter under my breath. I see a flash to my left. Eight has reappeared with Marina and Ella. Eight disappears while Marina and Ella see me facing the squad. They rush over to my side. Meanwhile, John has finished healing and also runs over to me.

"Ella, guard Lucy with Patricia," I instruct. I hand her my Mog cannon and she nods. She hurries over to her while we deflect more bullets and lasers. "The rest of us, let's take out these guys."

John lights himself on fire. The sight of him is enough to scare some of the men. He throws a fireball and it hits one of the cars and sets it on fire. He charges into battle. I go invisible while Marina brings up the rear. The next few minutes are a blur. I don't even see anything, just reacting with my training and instinct to fight off the FBI. I throw a man to the ground and hear a mechanical noise from the sky. The others hear it too. We look up and gasp. Nine is on one of the helicopters, repeatedly stabbing the windshield with his staff. He must have used his antigravity to get on the helicopter by jumping off the building. The other helicopter can't fire at him because it risks destroying the helicopter too. Nine stomps on the helicopter and sends it crashing into the sea. He leaps off of it just in time and lands on the other helicopter. He repeats the same process.

We turn our attention to the remaining cars and men. Without their numbers, they're no match for us. The cars are turned upside down and the men join their fallen ranks on the sand. A flash catches my eye and I see Eight reappear with Sam and Malcolm. He hurries them inside the building and joins us. The fight is nearing its end. Nine whacks the helicopter with his staff and it flies into the sea. He jumps off and lands on the beach, near us.

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" he smiles.

"Depends on your definition of fun," I say sourly.

"Well, I thought it was pretty fun." He shrugs. "What now?"

"There's still one more person I have to go get," Eight says. He disappears without another word.

"Who's that?" Nine asks. "I thought this was everyone."

"It's probably best you don't know for now," I mutter. Nine will probably strangle Adamus the moment he sees him.

"Great job, guys," Patricia calls. She's still tending to Lucy. I see something change in Nine's face. It's like a mixture of horror and shock. He sprints over to Lucy and the rest of us look at each other. Nine kneels over Lucy while we come over to him.

"She should be healed," John says. "I felt her life force regain energy."

"Lucy?" Nine asks tentatively. "Are you all right?" Lucy opens her eyes weakly.

"Is it over?" she asks softly. Nine smiles.

"It is," he whispers. Lucy tries to sit up but falls back down. "Shh," Nine murmurs. "You're still recovering." Then, to the shock of all of us, he gives her a gentle kiss. Lucy's eyes light up in surprise, and then she returns it. She holds him there for a full minute. Then she opens her eyes again.

"I love you, Nine," she says quietly.

"I love you too, Lucy," Nine returns. "I always have."

We hear the door open and turn to it. Sarah comes out with Sam and Malcolm. We rush to them and exchange hugs. We see light reflect off the building and turn around. Eight has arrived with Adamus. Nine's eyes light up in anger at seeing him, but John holds him back.

"We'll explain later," he says. "Don't worry about it."

"He's a spy, isn't he?" Nine growls.

"No! Just calm down. He can explain later. You think we're dumb enough to bring a Mogadorian to our base without reason?"

Nine reluctantly walks away. It's still early, only about 4:00 in the afternoon.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Eight asks. Patricia has lifted her up and is carrying her in her arms.

"She got hit by a piece of scrap metal," Patricia explains. "She might not have made it if John and Six didn't get here in time." Eight nods. We look at the destruction. There are pieces of metal and bodies laying all over the beach. John and Sarah start walking into the building and the rest of us follow. I'm too tired to do anything else right now. We walk inside and leave the destruction of the day behind us.


	17. Chapter 17: Revelations

**Ok guys. I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but I'm just gonna say... it's been a hell of a week. Between all the tests, projects, and due dates, I haven't been able to fit anything else in. I just wanted to get this out of the way today and not delay any longer. But sorry, Chapter 18 will probably take the same amount of time. For some reason my schedule just got really busy this week. I still have a whole list of things to do today after I upload this. Basically, this chapter is just revealing some new things about the Mogs and winding down the action temporarily. So, read on, and hopefully I can get the next chapter uploaded sooner.**

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Chapter 17

"Saraaahhhhh! Hurry uuppppp!"

"Quit whining!" Sarah shouts through the door.

"You've been in there for half an hour!" I protest.

"I need the time!"

"I need to go!"

"Go somewhere else!"

"You want me to go to Six's room? Or Nine's?"

"Just wait, you big baby. If you held it for half an hour, you can hold it for a little longer."

I shake my head and sit down on the bed. Women. I don't bother trying to understand them. I sit on the bed and rock back and forth, trying not to think about my need to go badly. 10 minutes later, Sarah comes out. I rush past her and get inside. I lock the door and relieve myself. When I come out, Sarah looks at me strangely.

"What?" I ask.

"Do you notice anything…different about me?" she quips.

"Um…no. Should I?" I ask hesitantly. Sarah rolls her eyes. She traces a line around her eye. I get it.

"Ohhhhh," I say dumbly. "You put makeup on."

"Why do you think I was in the bathroom for the past half hour?" she asks sarcastically.

"It shouldn't take that long to put so little of it on."

"But it needs to be PERFECT!"

"We're not even going anywhere today!"

"I need to look pretty!"

I chuckle softly.

"Sarah, you don't need makeup to look pretty."

"You know, I'm getting tired of how you tell me I look fine every day," she teases.

"But you know it's true."

"Stop flattering me."

"I'm not!"

"Whatever, John. Let's go."

We walk out of the room, hand in hand, to the dinner table. We decided to throw a little bit of a welcoming dinner for Sam, Malcolm, and Adamus. Earlier, we took Nine, Patricia, and Lucy into a separate room with Adamus and let Adamus retell his story. Six went with them to make sure Nine didn't try strangling him. Sarah and I are the last ones to come. Everyone is already seated.

Since none of us can cook, Patricia ordered a bunch of dishes from some fancy restaurant downtown. It looks delicious. I flop down onto my chair. I'm exhausted from the events of today. I also realized I'm starving. I wolf down pile after pile of food with no regard for manners. Six looks at me weirdly from across the table. When I meet her eyes, she chuckles. She's sitting next to Sam. If it was possible to eat faster, louder, and ruder than me, Sam has done it. Eventually we all hear the smacking noise and we turn our heads towards him. He notices and blushes in embarrassment. We all crack up.

Patricia calls a meeting after dinner. We're all getting a little tired of these meetings. However, this one's pretty important since we got attacked that afternoon, so we all come to the table an hour after dinner.

"So what is it this time?" Nine grumbles. The dishes have been cleaned and we sit around, looking at Patricia.

"Well, to start, I thought you might want to change your room arrangements a little bit," Patricia says. "Any changes? Keep in mind we also have to account for our three newcomers."

"I'll go with Six," Sam immediately blurts out. The other Garde look at him. He looks around nervously. "Um, sorry," he says sheepishly. Six looks at him and shakes her head.

"That's alright," Patricia says. "Anybody else?"

"I'll go with Nine," Lucy says dreamily. She stares at him and he smiles. Patricia rolls her eyes. I see it and stifle a laugh. Patricia writes it down.

"So, Six is with Sam and Lucy is with Nine," Patricia concludes. "So that leaves Marina, Ella, Malcolm, Adamus, and me."

"I can move in with Eight," Marina volunteers. I figure out who's with who. Patricia, Ella, Malcolm, and Adamus are left.

"I can go with Adamus and you and Ella can room," Malcolm tells Patricia. Patricia nods her head in agreement.

"So rooming is settled," she says, putting her notepad away.

"Is that it?" I ask. "I don't think you brought us here just to discuss rooming."

"No, I didn't," Patricia agrees. "The bigger issue is what we will do with the police and media after today's…incident."

"Yeah, media tends to get involved when they see helicopters flying through downtown," Six says sarcastically.

"That's not the only thing," Eight interrupts. He pulls out a tablet from his jacket. "I found this when we destroyed the base. It looks like our Garde tracking tablet. It might be useful."

"We can discuss that later," Patricia says. She puts her laptop on the desk and turns it so it faces towards us. "As you can see, this story is all over the news," she narrates while we read the story. "Fox, CNN, NPR, you name it. Pretty soon we're gonna have reporters knocking on our door, asking for information."

"Why can't you just hack it?" Nine asks. "You know, take the story off the Internet. It can't be that hard. If you can delete photos of us, you can delete stories."

"It's not as simple as you think," Patricia answers. "There are too many articles online for me to delete them all. It'll be in newspapers and radio tomorrow. I can bet you right now there are planes full of reporters coming to San Francisco. How do you think we're going to make them all forget about it?"

"We need to lie," Six proposes. "Make up a story. Obviously, we can't make them forget about it. So we need to make up something that happened. And we need the government in on this too." There are a few snorts of disbelief at this. "I'm serious. We have leverage over the government. We can release what they've been doing. They'll have to agree with our version of events. We can make them look bad."

"Good luck having people believe _your _side of the story," Nine chuckles. "You don't just make up a lie for something this big. People won't believe it. What are you gonna say? The helicopters were on a training exercise? People won't believe it."

"We don't have to make up a lie," I say suddenly. "The rest of the country doesn't know who we are. Only the government does. They'll be asking the government questions, not us. They'll have to run damage control and make up a story. We can just let this run its course. In the meantime though, we'll have to clean everything up." Patricia murmurs in agreement. Then she stands up.

"Which brings me to my next point," Patricia says cheerily. "I want every single body, piece of metal, car, or other vehicle cleaned up. We can't afford to leave any traces on this beach. And I want it done tonight." Everyone groans. "No arguing," she says sternly. "_Everyone _is helping." She goes in the closet and brings out shovels and garbage bags. "Now let's get working."

"Ew, what is that?" Marina recoils away from the thing I'm holding. She was supposed to hold the garbage bag so I could put it in, but she dropped it in trying to get as far away as possible. I examine the object.

"You know, my science knowledge isn't great at all," I begin. "But if I had to guess, I'd say this is part of a human leg." Marina goes green. She runs to the ocean and bends over. I look away. For the past four hours, we've been cleaning up the beach. It would've been a lot faster if we could've used telekinesis, but Patricia doesn't want any dead bodies floating in the air, even if it is at night. So we're doing this all by hand. I check my phone. It's 12:47 am. We still have a bunch of scrap metal and bodies to clean up. We've piled dozens of garbage bags on the beach. It's about 10 feet high now.

"Okay guys, who wants to do the fun part?" Patricia inquires. Nobody answers. We're all dreading what she has to say. Patricia looks over our blank faces and comes to a decision. "John and Six! Thank you for volunteering!" Six and I look at each other, and then glare at Patricia. "Since you were so nice to volunteer," She continues, "You get to clean up the helicopters in the ocean! Why don't you wade into the ocean and carry the broken helicopters out? It's the best job ever!"

I sigh. With no regard for my clothes getting wet, I walk into the water. Six and I take up a side on the helicopter. We lift it and bring it out onto the shore.

"Break it into smaller pieces," Patricia calls. I sigh in frustration and punch through the body. It splits in half. Then I repeat the process. An hour later, we've cleaned out the ocean and the beach is just about done. The rest of the group has been overturning the bloodstained sand so it doesn't look, well, bloody. I burn the pile of trash bags with my Lumen. It creates a bonfire that smells really bad.

The time is 2:09 am. I couldn't sleep back in New Mexico. The last time I got a night's worth of sleep was the day before we left for Dulce. I'm exhausted. My job is done and I head back into the building with Sarah. I almost fall asleep in the shower because of the hot water, but I manage to stay awake. I roll onto the bed and close my eyes. I feel soft lips on my cheek. I murmur a good night and fall asleep.

I'm in a cave. The ceiling reaches heavenly heights and everything is dark. I see a faint green glow from around the corner. I turn and I find myself staring at the pools of bubbling green liquid. I realize I'm in the Mog cave in West Virginia. My Somnium must be kicking in again. So much for a good night's sleep. I see Mog scientists working at the vats. I go through the room and find a hallway. I hear voices down the hall. I turn into the room at the end. It seems to be an interrogation room.

"General Sutekkh, status report," A deep voice booms. I recognize it as Setrakus Ra.

"Commander, the base in New Mexico is all but destroyed." Setrakus Ra and another Mog, which I assume to be the General, are walking down the hall. I follow them, trailing and listening to their conversation. "We have lost two of our most important connections with the US Government, Agents Walker and Purdy. Everything in the base was destroyed. It caved in on itself. There is nothing but a crater in the land now. My other son Adamus has now escaped with the Garde."

"Adamus was always a lost cause anyway," Setrakus Ra snaps. General Sutekkh bows his head respectfully. I realize this is Adamus's father. He doesn't seem to take it as an insult. "Very well. This is a very frustrating loss for us. The New Mexico base was one of our largest in the United States and one of the most important worldwide. However, at least those meddling Agents are gone. They were never useful anyway. At least they spared me the annoyance of having to kill them myself."

"If I may, Commander," General Sutekkh inquires. Setrakus Ra nods. "We may have to move on with the next step of our plan. Now that the Garde are now strong enough to take down an entire base, they will gain confidence. We need more support. The vats are not producing fast enough. In the past month alone, we have lost more soldiers than in the past seven years combined. We must have more support and I believe it is time to move forward with our plan."

"Your logic is flawed," Setrakus Ra mutters. "Analyze the destruction again. It was not caused by the Garde themselves. They used military-grade explosive charges that were undoubtedly bought illegally from the government by hacking their system. They may be dangerous, but I am still more powerful than them. I can take all seven of them alone. And I have this." He holds up his staff with the eye on it.

"Commander, the destruction of this base will give them confidence," General Sutekkh argues. "They will destroy more. Our army is large, but they will slowly begin to chip away at it. We must take action now. Why must we wait to kill them?"

"That is what that stupid Agent Walker said too," Setrakus Ra scorns. They've walked back into the science lab and are observing the vats. "She disobeyed orders. I leave to come here, and the Garde get lucky and pick that day to attack the base. What does Agent Walker do with her last breaths? She calls a meaningless attack on the Garde in the middle of broad daylight, raising hundreds of questions as to why military helicopters are flying through the city and FBI agents are all targeting one building. The attack fails miserably and we have blown our element of surprise. The Garde know that we know where they are. They also know that we do not have enough soldiers stationed in California alone to mount an attack that would be successful."

"Commander, that is why we should move on with our plan," General Sutekkh says. "It is true that the next phase may not do anything to subdue the Garde. However, with the _right _humans for the job, we can lure the Garde into our hands."

Setrakus Ra squints. "What are you proposing, General?" he asks. The General shows him over to another room. I walk in with them. There's a man strapped to a chair. I can't see very much of him in the dark.

"I've been doing some research on the Garde," General Sutekkh continues. "We only need to learn how to attack those that are precious to them."

"Yes, I know all about their history," Setrakus Ra says in a bored tone. "This human isn't even worthy of consideration! Number Four has had no connection with him!" My mind races. I try to think of all the possibilities of who it could be. I'm stumped.

"Remember, Commander, the Garde behave just like humans," General Sutekkh says. "No matter what the relationship with him is, if he is under mortal danger, they will react with haste. In all honesty, there isn't a better candidate than this…_extraordinary _human."

"This better work, General," Setrakus Ra mutters. "Remember what you did to Dr. Anu after he failed. Don't let the same fate be yours." General Sutekkh nods quickly. Something on his belt beeps and he rushes out of the room. Setrakus Ra turns to the human. I still don't know who it is. "Well, what do we have here," Setrakus Ra says with an evil laugh.

"What do you want?" the human says. His voice is so familiar. My mind is scrambled. I can't think of who it is. "Don't hurt me!"

"Please. You will not be hurt. You will be the one doing the hurting." Setrakus Ra cackles evilly. He presses a button and the chair starts being raised. I can almost catch a glimpse of his face. Then, his face turns into Sarah's.

"John! You overslept again!" Sarah playfully hits me with a pillow. I groan and sit up. I check the time. It's 11:36.

"Sarah, I had a dream again," I murmur.

"Another one? What was it about?" she asks, with concern. I tell her about my dream.

"Who do you think it is?" I ask.

"I don't know," Sarah says wistfully. "I've kinda forgotten about my old life. With these past couple of crazy months, there's no room to remember anything about my old life."

"How come you still remember all the times we had together?" I tease.

"Would you rather have me forget them?" she replys.

"Of course not." I grin and get up. I wrap my arm around her and we go have breakfast.

I quickly eat breakfast. I was going to tell Patricia about my dream, but she tells everyone to sit down after they've finished.

"Okay, gang," she announces. "Since we didn't have time to examine that tablet last night, we're gonna do it this morning." Eight walks up and hands her the tablet. She plugs it into her laptop with the triangle-shaped plug from Malcolm's tablet.

"That's Lorien technology," Malcolm observes. "How did the Mogadorians get ahold of it?"

"Who knows?" Patricia mutters. We crowd around her laptop as it loads.

A map of the world loads. Green dots are littered all over it.

"What do you suppose the green dots mean?" Eight asks. Some are bigger, while others are miniscule.

"Well, since it came from a Mog base…" Patricia starts. I get it. I gasp in horror. Everyone looks at me.

"Guys, this is a map of all the active Mog bases in the world," I explain. I'm still reeling from the fact. Everyone also gasps. Patricia spins the earth around with her mouse. It shows multiple Mog bases in every country of the world. In the US alone, there are more than 20. For the first time, we realize how truly outnumbered we are.

"The size of the dot must mean the size of the base, right?" Six asks.

"It should," Patricia says. "See, there's a big dot in New Mexico. Or, there was one. It's a red dot now."

"Red must mean inactive," Ella concludes. "See, we just destroyed the one in New Mexico. The dot is about as big as the one in West Virginia."

"New Mexico wasn't that bad," Eight says. "Most of the dots are smaller than that one."

"Yeah, but there's too many of them," I argue. "How will we ever win this war? How are we supposed to take down _all _of them?"

"We don't," Patricia says firmly. "You guys aren't ready to go on the offensive. We need to train. Get better at your Legacies. Train your physical strength. As for me and the people who don't have Legacies, we need to train in self-defense and weapons. Once I think we're ready, we can start attacking."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Nine slams his fist on the table. "Training! We can finally get started with it! If Setrakus Ra is hiding his hairy ass in the Mog cave, that's where we're gonna go once we're done!" Nine's rant reminds me about my dream. I need to tell Patricia.

"Patricia?" I ask. Everyone turns to me.

"Mm-hmm?" She's still studying the map.

"I had another dream last night." I tell everyone about my dream. It's directed at Patricia, but I want everyone else to hear it too.

"I don't know what kind of plan they have in place right now," Patricia admits. "I'm as much in the dark as you are. The best we can do is just let it settle."

"I'm all for that," I say jokingly. The others murmur words of agreement.

"Oh, one more thing," Patricia says. "Looks like we were right. The government has taken care of the story." She turns her laptop so it faces us. The news story is about the attack on the building. Apparently, a wrong order in the government had been given and an attack squad had been sent to attack the building because it was believed that was a terrorist base. It didn't give any apologies to us. The woman who had ordered it had been fired and the government apologized for any distractions they caused.

"Fair enough," I snort. "At least it's believable, even if it makes them look bad."

"As you can see, it's history," Patricia says. "We can stop worrying about it. We have other priorities."

The next few weeks pass by quietly. We finish building the floors and spend some time getting to know one another. Sam, Sarah, and I catch up on old times and we get to know his dad and Adamus. Patricia starts our training. We have one physical floor, one Legacy floor, and one weapons floor. Punching bags, shooting targets, huge cinderblocks, and mats are just some of the things we had to buy. I train with Eight daily. He knows some kinds of Indian defensive martial arts and I progress quickly. As far as we're concerned, we're just trying to get better and keep a low profile. I wouldn't have it any other way. No one knows what'll happen next.


	18. Chapter 18: Let the Games Begin

**No school today! WOOT WOOT! Although I don't really know why...but I'm not complaining. I finished up Chapter 18. It ended being a lot longer than I originally anticipated. Sarah's viewpoint. BTW: XDMAXIRONSXD: I'm not gonna kill Sarah. Imagine how devastated John would be. I don't know why there are so many John/Six fans here. I feel like I'm the only one who's a John/Sarah fan. Logic also works with John/Sarah. If she had been rescued and John would've gone back to Six, imagine how Sarah would feel...isolated, alone, useless to everyone. I'm ranting again. I'll shut up. Chapter 18, coming up! Oho! One more thing! Since most of you guessed it right, it is Mark. I knew I should've made it less obvious...but it's too late now. You won't have to worry about him though...**

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Chapter 18

For once in my now crazy life, things slow down. We don't have any more attacks or news reports. It's been a month since that mess. Everyone's helped finish building. We've also gotten some time to bond and get closer to each other. As soon as we've built all three training floors, Patricia gets us started on training.

It's different for Malcolm, Sam, and me. We're the only ones without any way to defend ourselves. Patricia sometimes trains with us too, although she does a lot better than us, due to having spent the last 10 years on the run. Adamus is a special case, because he has his earthquake Legacy, but doesn't know how to fight hand-to-hand and use weapons. He usually trains with Ella because they have similar skill sets. As for the rest of the Garde, they spend most of the day on the Legacies floor, honing their abilities.

I wake up to the sun's soft rays on my face, shining through the window. I look around. John's already left, probably to get some training in. It's a beautiful Sunday morning in July. I get dressed and head to the breakfast table. Because we all have different training schedules, we don't all eat at the same time. On this particular morning, Six, Malcolm, and Sam are sitting at the table. I grab some pieces of bread and put them in the toaster. I sit down next to Six while I wait for them.

"Sleep well last night?" Six asks casually.

"Pretty good," I reply.

"Good." She smiles. "You're gonna need it. I've got some grueling stuff planned for today." Six is my appointed hand-to-hand instructor.

"You're gonna take it easy on me today, won't you?" I grin.

"Not a chance," she chuckles. "You're gonna get whipped into shape."

"It's not like I'm fat," I protest. My toast pops up and I grab it. I sit back down with Six.

"Yeah, but you're not in shape either," Six states.

"Easy for you to say," I snort. "You guys can eat whatever you want and still be able to bench press 300."

"That reminds me," Six says. "I need to get training soon. I'll see you after lunch." I nod and she leaves the table. I chat with Sam and his dad for a little while, and then tie my hair up and leave to get my day started.

My daily routine consists of weight lifting, running, and swimming in the morning, followed by lunch, and then followed by hand-to-hand combat and weapons in the afternoon. Occasionally I try some basketball and watch the Garde train. I go to the jogging track after breakfast. It still feels weird working out. I was never the sporty type back in Paradise. I wasn't out of shape (no matter what Six says), but I never needed to work out. It's been about two weeks since my routine started. No matter how awkward it feels though, I'd still have this over my boring life in Paradise.

I hit the weight room after I'm done running laps. I check the clock. It reads 10:15. I groan. Still an hour and 15 minutes left of weight lifting, then an hour and a half of swimming. I don't even know how to swim! I turn my attention to the dumbbells in front of me. I've improved from 2.5 pounds in the beginning to 7.5 now. John makes fun of me and says that's a tiny improvement, but I just ignore him. I go after the weights today. I'm straining and breathing hard from the work after about 15 minutes. John's running laps on the track upstairs.

"Come on, Sarah!" he shouts. "20 more!"

"Shut up, John!" I shout back. He sticks his tongue out at me. I roll my eyes. I finish lifting and wipe the sweat off my face with a towel. I head to the swimming pool for my next workout.

My swimming instructor is Marina. I hop in and start swimming some warm-up laps. Swimming's another thing I don't do. I was against it, but John convinced me to do it. I'm glad he did. It's actually pretty fun. It's an alternative to the hard work I do the rest of the day. Marina's a good teacher and I'm a fast learner. I came in not knowing how to swim, but I'm already swimming up to six laps within two weeks.

"Keep your head down, Sarah!" Marina shouts from the side. "Get those arms up!" Each day she points out how I can improve. It helps a lot.

The hour and a half flies by. I get out and take a shower. I'm starving. Patricia's laid out assorted dishes for lunch. Just like with breakfast, not everyone eats at the same time. I grab a sandwich and a salad and sit down. Adamus, Nine, and Lucy are at the table. Lucy and I talk a little bit about our day so far. I'm mostly occupied with eating my lunch. I know Six is gonna work me hard in the afternoon. Nine isn't exactly the most considerate instructor either. I wolf down my lunch. Then I head for the elevator, knowing well what lies ahead for my afternoon.

I get in the elevator and press the button for the sixth floor. This is the physical floor, where the weight machines and punching bags are. It's also where I go the most. Unlike in the morning though, I'm here to fight, not lift weights now. The elevator stops at the fifth floor and Six walks in. I catch a glimpse of Eight lifting a huge pile of bricks with telekinesis before the door closes.

"How convenient," Six chuckles. "Ready for your training?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I reply.

"I doubt you can guess what I have in store today," Six says.

"You don't scare me," I say adamantly. Six smirks just as the elevator door opens. We step out into the weight room. We walk through the weight room and reach the arena. Here, boxing gloves hang on racks and punching bags hang from the ceiling. There's a few rings and some mats laying around. Helmets and pads lay in a pile at the end of the room. I select a pair of blue boxing gloves that complement my blue tank top. I grab a helmet and some knee pads, but Six stops me.

"Not so fast, there," Six says. "We're not training yet. We're gonna go outside for a little warm-up jog." I groan.

"Why did you bring me to this floor if we're not even training yet?" I protest.

"The elevator was going up," Six states. "But now we're going down." We head back into the elevator and down to the 1st floor. Six leads me out onto the beach. It's a partially overcast day, but the temperature's nice.

"Follow where I go. You know the routine," Six tells me, then takes off at a leisurely jogging pace. I start up behind her. We take our usual route. Out into the city, following the beach for about a mile. We usually take to the streets and avoid jogging on the beach because of the perverts that lurk there. I'm improving my speed and Six has been jogging faster in recent runs. We reach our destination, the edge of Chinatown.

"We're done," I tell Six. "Let's head back." She shakes her head.

"Oh no," she says mischievously. "I told you to be prepared. We're going the distance." I sigh, but there's nothing I can do about it. Six starts off again, at a faster pace now. I have to almost sprint to keep up with her. By the time we've gotten out of Chinatown (I think it's been another mile), I'm huffing and puffing. Six got there a full minute ahead of me.

"So, how was it?" she asks with a smile on her face.

"I hate you," I mutter.

"Exercise is good for you," Six preaches.

"You don't need to give me that."

"I'll let you rest for five minutes. Then we're jogging back."

"Ten."

"Sorry, Sarah. I'm running a tight schedule. We still need to get the training in."

"I'm too tired to train."

"Loser's mentality. That'll get you nowhere with the Mogs." At the mention of the Mogs my face goes sullen. I forgot the importance of our training. The reason I'm even doing this is to help in the war against the Mogs, so I won't be more useless than a brick. With a sigh, I start jogging back to our building.

When we get back, I'm hot, sweaty, and exhausted. Six is indifferent. We're going to keep continuing our training. Six lets me go ahead to the arena because she needs to grab some equipment. I use the time to get a little bit of rest and prepare for the second half of my training.

When Six arrives I'm already suited up. I have my gloves, my helmet, and my pads. I've walked up to a punching bag and I'm practicing some basic jabs.

"You really think you're gonna knock someone out with that kind of power?" Six points out. "Come on, attack it." Instead of complaining, I grit my teeth and go at it again. Six gets her pads on. She motions for me to stop and brings me over to another bag.

"Alright, Sarah," Six says. "You've progressed fast. I didn't expect you to learn so quickly."

"Thanks," I mutter.

"Do you still remember the snap, side, and roundhouse kicks we practiced last time?" Six asks. I nod.

"Good," she continues. "I'm going to teach you a new technique. Normally, people practicing martial arts wouldn't learn this at this early of a stage. But I think you're ready for it." She winks at me. "Today I'm going to teach you the flying version of these kicks."

"So you mean, like, jumping 10 feet in the air and kicking someone in the face?" I ask hesitantly. Six chuckles.

"Somewhat," she answers. "This'll be pretty basic. It's not so much about the vertical height, it's about the distance you cover to your opponent. Watch." She steps back until she's about five feet away from the bag. She backs up and jumps. Flying through the air, she cocks her right leg back and snaps it into the bag just as she's begun her descent. The bag flies out, but it's held fast by the chain and comes back at her. She stops it with telekinesis and turns to me.

"Your turn," she says. I hesitantly position myself about five feet away from the bag. I back up. I take a deep breath and jump. I misjudge the timing of my kick and I miss the bag by a half foot. I crash onto the mat. Six pulls me up and chuckles. "Don't worry," she says. "You'll get the hang of it eventually.

For the next hour, I practice flying kicks. Six also drills me over old things, like blocking and punching. I feel like I'm going to fall asleep by the end of the hour. I check the clock. It's 3:04. My weapon training is at 3:30 with Nine. I get a swig of Gatorade. During all of our sessions we close out with a friendly spar between Six and me. Even though she's taken it easy, I've still lost every time. Everything that I've learned practicing just never seems to come to my head in an actual fight. I'm worried that'll be the case in a real fight.

"I've got a little treat to finish off our training today," Six announces.

"What is it?" I ask.

"You know those drones that we Garde usually practice with? I brought one here today. Don't look so scared. I had Nine downgrade the programming so it only does basic punches and kicks. Saves me a lot of work too."

"Six, do you know how tired I am? That drone is going to beat the shit out of me." I say as I eye the drone. It's a few inches taller than me, and made of rusted metal. It can be auto-programmed or remote controlled. Looks like it's going to be remote controlled, judging by the controller Six has in her hand.

"You'll be fine, Sarah. Remember that I'm controlling it."

"As if that makes it any better," I mutter under my breath. I step wearily into the ring. The drone is on the other side. I take up a halfhearted fighting stance. Six presses a button and the drone's eyes power on. Six tries some experimental moves. I stand on the opposite side and try to loosen up.

"Ready?" Six calls.

"Ready," I grimace. I inch closer to the drone. We circle each other. I feign a few punches to see how it reacts. Obviously Six doesn't have this controlling down, because all of them hit. The next time I try it though, the drone puts its fists up and blocks them.

Suddenly, it lunges. I yelp and throw my hands up. Out of dumb luck, I deflect the punch. That gets me alert.

"Come on, Sarah!" Six yells from the sidelines. "Focus!" The drone comes at me again. I block the first punch, but it comes at me with another one that hits me in the face. Luckily the drone's wearing gloves. I land a kick on the drone.

"Aaahhh!" I shout in pain. "Why couldn't you have padded this thing?"

"Didn't think of it," Six shouts back. "Look out!" I jump out of the way as the drone attempts a kick.

And so it goes on. After a half hour we fight to a draw. Six turns the drone off. I collapse onto the bench.

"Nice fight there," Six comments. "Really made you work, didn't it?"

"Sure, whatever you say," I mutter.

"I'm gonna be leaving now," Six announces. "I have my own training to do."

"That's great, because so do I," I reply. My last part of the day is weapons with Nine. I'm not looking forward to it.

The elevator arrives at the seventh floor and I walk out. I walk past the racks of assorted guns and into the range. Nine's already practicing some shots, along with Sam. Nine sees me and takes his safety glasses and earmuffs off.

"You're late," he says.

"Blame Six, not me," I respond. I grab my Mog cannon from the rack. We have some Mog cannons and blasters that we've salvaged from our exploits, but it's mostly human weapons. I have to practice with all of them anyhow.

I put on the safety gear and sit down at the table. I wait for Sam to finish his round. He's an okay shooter. The targets stop shuffling after about a minute, signaling the end of his round. The results come up on Nine's screen.

"56 percent," Nine tells him. "Mediocre. You can't be missing the 54 percent of the other Mogs that'll be coming."

"Actually, it'd be 44 percent," he corrects. Nine snorts.

"Whatever," he says. "Math ain't gonna help you on the battlefield." I roll my eyes as I prepare for my round. Nine presses the button and the targets start moving. I spot the first one and fire. A green blast escapes from my cannon and hits the target. It explodes into pieces. I spot the second one skimming across the ceiling. I fire again, but the blast misses it by just an inch. I'm still weary from my fighting with Six and can't concentrate. The rest of the round, I fire wildly. Some of my shots hit their mark. Most of them don't. Nine shuts off the targets and reads my score.

"38 percent," he says, aghast. "Absolutely terrible. You'd be better off carrying a meat cleaver to defend yourself."

"I don't think I'm that bad," I say defensively. "Just give me another shot."

"Fine," Nine says. "Sam's gonna go train in the other room. I'll be controlling that. I'll just set the targets on automatic and you practice." Nine takes Sam into the combat room. Here, you defend yourself with a blaster while drones come at you. The drones only fire water guns since this is training, but it's still not fun to get soaked. Sam steps in and the door closes behind him. I hear a whirring sound. The targets are getting started. I turn my head towards the range.

For the next hour, I alternate between weapons. I go through the Mog cannon, a Mog blaster, a shotgun, a Desert Eagle, and a rifle. My accuracy steadily improves after my terrible first round. By the time Sam's done, I've improved my accuracy to 62 percent. Nine pokes his head into the range.

"Are you ready?" he asks. I nod. He walks over to the monitor and looks at my results. "It took you 10 rounds to improve from 38 to 62 percent?" he says. "I've never seen such bad shooting in my life."

"It's not my fault we don't have enhanced eyesight like you," I lament. "I'm only human."

"Whatever." Nine brings me into the combat room. I ditch the rifle and grab the Mog blaster. As I've found out, handguns tend to be better in actual combat situations. The door closes. Nine observes me through a glass window. The gates open at the end of the room and two drones appear. I run up to them to get a better shot and narrowly avoid a spray of water by one of them.

"Reckless," a speaker taunts. It's Nine talking into the speaker system. "You have to pick them off from afar."

"You're calling me reckless?" I fire back. That shuts him up. I shoot both the drones. Nine stabs a button and more drones appear. I'm taking on four now. I shoot blindly, grazing some of them but mostly missing.

"Get closer for a better shot!" Nine yells.

"Who just told me to back up?" I yell back. I swear, Nine is the worst teacher ever. He contradicts himself, doesn't offer praise, and just heaps meaningless criticism on you. I've mostly learned to get better through self-teaching myself about the weapons.

I decide to take the four drones one at a time. I shoot the first one. It falls into the path of the other three drones. I repeat the process with the next two drones. Only one left. It takes me by surprise with a blast of water. Now my legs are soaked. That does it. I sprint up to the drone and hit it on the side of its head with my blaster. It messes up the drone. Then I put my blaster to its head and fire twice. The head explodes and it falls on the pile of scrap metal at my feet.

"That's cheating," Nine says when I exit. "You can only fire at them."

"Rules don't apply on the battlefield," I say, smirking.

"That's not the point of this room," Nine growls. He leaves without another word. My training is done for the day. I take my second shower of the day. I realize how tired I am. I go back into my room and fall on the bed. I check the time. It's 4:43. Dinner's at 6:30. Hopefully I can get some sleep before dinner. I crawl under the warm sheets and close my eyes.

I feel a weight on me. I wake up. I see a horrendous face right up against me. I scream and slap it. John recoils back.

"Ow," he says, grinning. "Don't be so scared."

"That wasn't nice, John," I say, trying to keep a straight face.

"But it was funny," he replies, laughing. "Get up. Dinner's ready. Everyone's waiting for you."

"Well, by everyone, you mean just you."

"May-be."

"Admit it, John."

"Okay, Sarah. Yes. Just me." His smile makes my heart flutter. He pulls me up and we walk to the dinner table.

Dinner's the only meal we all get together. Everyone's schedule more or less ends at around 5. We have some downtime between then and dinner, which I used to sleep just then. After dinner we hang out on the rec floor for a few hours, then go to sleep around 10. I take my seat at the round table. Everyone's already seated and some people like Sam and Ella have already begun eating.

The atmosphere is upbeat. We eat, chat, and laugh. It feels like one big family. After dinner, we head up to the rec floor. I play a game of friendly skee-ball with Marina and Lucy. I'm about to take my throw but I hear a roar. I turn around. Nine is fuming and Eight and John are doubled over, laughing. They're playing some shooting game. Everyone joins in for a game of bumper cars. Say what you want. I will never grow out of those. Patricia doesn't participate, opting to stay in her office downstairs. I don't blame her. We can't completely let go of why we're here.

I'm getting tired. It's almost 10. I still have more training tomorrow. The others are packing up too. We take the elevator downstairs. I walk with John into our room. John goes and takes a shower. I lay on the bed, looking outside the window. The night sky lights up the ocean below. The calm waves lap against the shore. _So many stars, _I think. _Which one is Lorien?_ John comes out of the bathroom. I smile at him.

"What are you looking at?" he asks me.

"Just admiring the stars," I reply. He crawls in and puts his arm around me. I immediately feel safer. He points to a dim star in the distance, small and almost unnoticeable.

"That's Lorien," he tells me. "In case you were wondering."

"I hope you haven't developed the Legacy of reading minds," I tease. He laughs heartily.

"It comes naturally once you get to know someone," he whispers.

"I'm sure." I roll over so I'm facing him. "I'm tired. I need to go to sleep soon. Good night, John. I love you." He smiles. His hand reaches over to the light switch and flicks it. Even with the lights out, I can tell he's smiling.

"Good night, Sarah. I love you too."

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**Ehh. Ho-hum chapter. Next one will be better, I promise. Also, I'll lay off the John/Sarah stuff for now. Thinking of doing some chapters from Marina/Nine's viewpoint...what do you guys think? I feel like their relationships aren't really being developed. In the meantime, I'll get working on Chapter 19 while you leave a review in that little text box below. Right? Right.**


	19. Chapter 19: Burn, Baby, Burn

**This is a long chapter. And I've got a long author's note to match. First of all, thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate it a lot! I especially like all the support from the Sarah fans haha. Glad to know I'm actually not alone. Hopefully we won't have to throw the Fall of Five out the window like we did with the Power of Six. Speaking of the Fall of Five, the official cover came out. I have to say I'm disappointed. It's the same as all the other covers of the previous books. The UK one looks so much better. Oh well. As you can see, that's the image for this story now. The latest Lost Files description came out. The Forgotten Ones will be about Adamus and what he does after he escapes from the base. It mentions trying to find the secret that will turn the tide of the war. I'm assuming it has something to do with the Red Dart. Any ideas? Leave them in the reviews. I'm gonna answer some questions now. To the Guest who left four reviews, I'll answer some of the many questions you asked. Five's badass Legacy will be put to use in about two chapters, and I had already planned to do some Chest explaining in this chapter. The individual Chests of each Garde will be explained as they narrate. And the Garde took Eight's Chest, just so you know. lorien fan: Probably around 30 chapters total. I have the whole thing planned out, just need to write it. So I'm estimating around 30 chapters. Guest: Marina will be featured in probably the next chapter, I'm doing a guest narration from her viewpoint. Welp, I think that's all I've got. Now you get to read the equally long chapter from Six's viewpoint. Happy reading! And don't forget to review!**

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Chapter 19

The alarm clock blares. I wearily stick a hand out and shut it off with telekinesis. I close my eyes. _Just five more minutes, _I think happily. _Then I'll just go off with my training and we'll all be good._ I space off. I'm about to fall asleep again, but I'm pretty sure I can wake up in five minutes. Then, the door creaks open. I lift my droopy eyelids. John pokes his head into our room.

"Six!" he hisses. "Get up!"

"Five more minutes," I say dreamily.

"No!" John persists. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Not time for me to get up," I murmur.

"You're half an hour behind schedule!" John tells me. "It's 5:30! We've been waiting for you to join the warm-up jog for half an hour!"

At this I jump up. I look at the alarm clock. Shit. I quickly throw some clothes on and follow John out the door. I look behind at Sam.

"Six?" he says in his sleep. It's a creepy singsong voice. "Six, where are you?" He gropes around and grasps my pillow. "Found you," he says with a giggle. I sigh. You never know what Sam is going to do in his sleep. John and I take the elevator down and join the Garde at the beach. The sun is already out.

"I'm surprised Six is late," Marina says as I join our group. "You're never one to sleep in."

"Shut up," I say. "I was tired last night."

"What?" Eight says in disbelief. "We didn't even train that hard!"

"I'm not talking about training," I say. "It was Friday night."

"Oh yeah, you and Sam went on a _date,_" Nine says with a snicker.

"It was not a date," I say defensively. "We just went to the mall. They had a late-night closing time."

"Stop bickering, guys," Patricia says. "Since we're running late, you'll be running faster. We have to get this done by 6. So run at double speed. GO!" It's unexpected. Everyone whips by me, even little Ella and Adamus. I'm assuming we're taking our usual route. Past Chinatown, across the Golden Gate Bridge, into the Muir Woods and back. We run this early so people won't notice us. But it is San Francisco, so there's going to be people out every hour of the day.

"We're still running the same laps!" Nine yells back. "Just make sure you run twice as fast!" As usual, Nine is in the lead. He's the only one who actually thinks this is a race. Behind him are John and Lucy. Marina and Eight run together, followed by Ella, and then Adamus. I'm dead last. Even though it is just a warm-up, I don't like being last. I speed up my pace and pass Ella and Adamus. We're onto the Golden Gate Bridge now. This is one of my favorite parts of the jog. Being able to run in the early morning, with the sun peeking out and breathing in the sea air, is relaxing. All too soon, it's over and we head into the redwood forest.

The Muir Woods are full of redwood trees. We penetrate into the forest and from there we lose each other. The forest is vast and perfect for running. Without breaking stride, I pull out my phone and check the time. 5:42. Plenty of time to get through the park and back. I hear footsteps ahead of me. I quicken my pace and turn the corner. It's John.

"This is fun, right?" I ask as I jog up to him.

"Not really," he grumbles. "Your fault we have to get this done in half an hour."

"Running is good for you," I say with a sunny voice.

"So I've been told," he mutters. I can tell he's not really in a talkative mood. John usually gets better after breakfast. He speeds up and sprints ahead of me. I don't follow, choosing to keep my leisurely jogging pace. My jogging pace is actually what most humans would consider sprinting. I jog the rest of the run and get back at 6. As usual, Nine has already finished. John and Lucy are also done. I'm fourth. Usually I'm around second or third, but I took it easy today. I do some stretching while we wait for the others to finish. We head back inside once Ella and Adamus arrive. I do some weight lifting and fire some shots at the range. I know I won't get an opportunity to do that once my real training begins for the day.

I wipe the sweat off my face with a towel. It's nine o'clock. I've trained for almost three hours. I grab a quick bite and take the elevator up to the Legacy floor. The humans haven't really been inside this floor much. It's by far the largest floor in the building. All sorts of training materials and battlefields cover the floor. In the corner, I see John's, Marina's, Eight's, Nine's, and Lucy's Chests lined up against the wall. I wish my own chest could join them. I continue on and join the Garde who are already there. Ella's sparring with Adamus in one ring and John and Lucy in another. Eight's waiting around.

"Hey, Six!" Eight calls. "I need a sparring partner. You wanna join me?"

"Sure," I reply. Eight hauls his Chest to the ring. "What rules are we playing?"

"One weapon from your Chest," Eight states. "Go until you're down for 10 seconds. Basic rules. You know the drill."

"Oh yeah I do. I'll go get a weapon." I borrow weapons from other people's Chests since I don't have mine. I go over to Lucy's Chest.

"Hey, Lucy!" I call up to the ring. She stops fighting.

"Yeah, Six?" She responds. I hold up a golden boomerang.

"Mind if I use this?" I ask.

"Knock yourself out," she says, then chuckles at her own pun. I get back into our ring. Eight's chosen his weird Duplicator thing. It's going to be a tough matchup. Eight can use the Duplicator to teleport around and leave copies of him. Even so, I'm glad he didn't choose the other usable weapon, the green crystal. From what I've heard, it parted an ocean with a wind storm so they could get to the Loric crystal at the bottom.

The boomerang feels light in my hands. Lucy's explained it. It's a unique weapon found in her Chest. It acts like a regular boomerang, but you control it with telekinesis instead of just throwing it. I'm getting better at it, but I still get hit in the head occasionally. Lucy seems to be the only one who can effortlessly control it. Lucy's Nova Frost Legacy only works when near water, but she has a strange bottle of water that seems to be bottomless. Using this, she can use Nova Frost without having to worry about if there is water nearby. Obviously this is useless to me though, which is why I took the boomerang.

"Ready?" Eight asks. I nod. We step into the ring. Without warning, Eight disappears. A copy of him is still there. I feel something behind me and duck. A punch swings over my head. I roll out of the way. Eight is left standing there, frozen in his punching state. All of a sudden a shoe materializes on top of me. I roll again and it stomps. That does it. Time to go on the offensive.

I scramble up and throw the boomerang. I direct it to hit all of the Eight copies that are there. The fake ones disintegrate and eventually I hit the real one. It knocks him down and the boomer returns to my hand.

"Ow," he says, rubbing his head. His eyes widen. He teleports just in time and my fist smashes into the mat. I get up and back up against the wall. I know he's going to come from somewhere, but at least I won't be surprised.

Eight somehow teleports behind me. I get knocked down and I feel a foot slam into my back. My hand gets free and I throw the boomerang. I can't concentrate with Eight's foot in my back however, and it flies wildly around the ring.

"Three, four, five," Eight counts off. I don't pay attention. I'm trying to get my focus, get the boomerang to where I want it to go…

"Seven, eight, nine," Eight continues. Come on, come on…there! The boomerang comes flying back at me. I can do little more than change the angle now. I do and it hits Eight squarely in the chest just as he counts off "ten". I get up and stick the boomerang on his chest. He grunts with the pain. I remove the piece of gold from his pocket and start counting. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…

"Eight, nine, ten," I count. "Looks like I win."

"Humph," Eight grumbles. "I almost had you."

"It'll take more than a silly teleporter to put me down," I say, and wink. "Good luck next time." I put the boomerang back in Lucy's Chest and wipe my face. I think I'll do some solo training next.

I head into the other hallway. Nine, Marina, and Adamus are already training. The ground shakes where Adamus is practicing his Legacy, Marina is fighting drones in a room that is pitch-black, and Nine is running up the walls and fighting drones. Each of us has a specific room to practice our specific Legacies and make them stronger. The doors are marked with our numbers and Adamus has an "A" on his. There's a small window for observing and the rooms are soundproof and made of sturdy material. I open the door with "6" painted on it and walk in.

My room contains the giant boulders that everyone else has. You don't know how painful it was to go up to the mountains, bring them down, and bring them into our building without someone noticing. I mostly did all the heavy lifting since I can make them invisible. But that's off topic. The boulders are used for telekinesis practice and are in everyone's room except Adamus's. Also in everyone's room, there is a garage full of drones for me to practice on. I have various objects in my room, like a machine gun, a key, a fishbowl (don't ask), and a straight sword. I practice making all kinds of objects invisible. Weather control is my other main Legacy, but obviously I can't practice that in the building. I've repeatedly asked Patricia if I could go up into the mountains and practice it, but she's said no. I'm worried when the time comes that I actually have to use it, it'll be too rusty.

I start things off easy. I lift two boulders with telekinesis and fling them experimentally across the room. Lifting them has gotten easier. I used to sweat under the strain of lifting such heavy boulders. I drop them and open up the control panel in the corner. I set the drone difficulty to 10 and press the button. Five drones immediately come out with Super Soakers. They're meant to imitate the weapons we would face in real life. The drones on level 10 are also programmed to use martial arts and not give up until they're completely down. Nine's programming is genius.

The drones on 10 are a mild challenge for me. I know Nine and me almost always train on 9 or 10. John will sometimes attempt 10, but he usually walks out soaked in water. It's no problem for him though since he can dry it off with his Lumen. The others usually train on levels 5-8. I lift the boulders and smash them onto the drones. That's another thing. Nine and Patricia worked for a week setting up an automatic repair system for the drones since so many of them were getting destroyed. After each training session, the bits of drone are all collected and dumped down a chute. At the other end, Nine throws in loads of scrap metal he's collected from the city's recycling facility. The system is built in between floors and constructs drones automatically out of pieces of scrap metal. Nine claims he didn't pay attention when Sandor was building their penthouse in Chicago. I don't believe him. Half of this wouldn't have been possible without the techniques he learned from Sandor.

More drones stream out in a wave. Time to practice some invisibility. I grab the fishbowl and try to pretend it's a Loric charm or something. I turn invisible and ambush the drones. Right as the last one falls, more stream out. I haven't even destroyed half of the new wave when the garage opens again and more come out. I grimace, but I'm determined inside. I'm loving this challenge.

I fight for two hours inside my room. When I walk out, I'm exhausted, sweaty, and my clothes are sticking to me from the water and the sweat, but I'm satisfied. I've put in another good morning of training. I'll have lunch and then teach my fighting class with the humans. Then I'll use the remaining time to train some more.

Some days I'll skip coming downstairs because I need to get some training in. On those days I have Sam or someone else bring lunch up to the Legacies floor. Today is not one of those days. Sure, I trained for less time than I usually do, but I'm satisfied. I head downstairs and grab a burger. I'm careful not to stuff myself during lunch so I'll have energy for the afternoon. Once I'm done eating, I take the elevator up to the sixth floor and wait for Sarah.

I train Sarah, then Marina and Ella, then Sam, Malcolm and Adamus in the afternoon. The others know how to fight. Nine and I are experts, John and Lucy aren't trained but have some experience, and Eight knows Indian martial arts. I pick up a pair of boxing gloves and practice a few punches and kicks. The elevator door opens after a few minutes and Sarah arrives.

"Ready for your jog today?" I ask cheerily.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sarah answers.

"Good," I say. "Let's head out." I put on a light Under Armour jacket and we take the elevator down. We head out into the city. Ever since I took Sarah on the route _through _Chinatown, we've made that our regular route. Sarah's still slow, but she's improving. Now I almost have to jog for me to lose her. We run through the city until we reach the coast next to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a humid and warm day.

"Nice," I remark, looking at my phone. "16:38 for two miles here. Knocked about 11 seconds off your time a week ago."

"So I only knocked about one and a half seconds off each day?" Sarah says sarcastically.

"Yep." I nod. Then I freeze. Two men in trench coats walk in front of us. I immediately feel their freezing aura, their sphere of evil surrounding them. First of all, who wears trench coats on a hot July day? The men start talking. I know that language. Mogadorian. Their scum is here in San Francisco. We knew the FBI had agents stationed here. We never really worried about them because we didn't think they could do anything to us. But now the Mogadorians are here as well.

I turn to Sarah.

"Sarah?" I say quietly. She perks up and looks at me.

"Yeah?" she asks.

"I need you to run back to the building by yourself," I tell her.

"Why?" she says, confused. I motion at the two men. They're about 20 feet away from us. She nods, understanding.

"Warn the others," I whisper. "It doesn't matter if some people don't come. Go get whoever you can and come back."

"What about you?" she whispers back.

"I'm gonna go after them and see what they're up to," I tell her. She looks concerned. "I'll be fine," I assure her. "I've faced worse than two Mogadorians before." Sarah nods and takes off. I put my hood up and follow the Mogadorians.

The Mogs in trench coats walk down the street. Some people stare at them weirdly. I would too if I saw someone in a trench coat in the middle of July. I follow them from about 30 feet away, trying not to stand out. They turn the corner. I wait for 10 seconds and follow. I check the time. It's been about 20 minutes since Sarah left. She should be getting the others now. One of the Mogs looks over his shoulder and I quickly snap my head to the side, pretending to be interested in a newspaper stand. Once he turns around, I start following them again.

The Mogs reach a dead end. They turn and go into an alley. It's now or never. I turn with them. The alley is long and narrow. Doors from the buildings on either side line the walls. The Mogs are heading down the alley. They apparently don't seem to care that it doesn't lead anywhere.

"Stop where you are," I say menacingly. They turn around and look at me. They look at each other and flash their wicked sharp tooth grin. "I know who you are," I continue. "If you have any sense, you should come quietly."

"We know who you are too, _Garde,_" one of the Mogs sneers. His voice is deep and ugly. "It seems you are not as intelligent as you believe. You've walked into a trap." I keep my face straight, but on the inside I get a little worried. I'm sure I can take a mob of Mogs, but I'm nervous that this Mog is sneering because he has something different planned.

"Oh yes. If _you _had any sense you would surrender now," the other Mog adds mockingly. I decide it's enough. I lift one of them with telekinesis and smash him into the other one. One of them turns to ash while the other is left badly wounded. He's grinning as I come near him.

"Bad mistake," he smirks. He pulls out a remote and presses it. An alarm sounds. Shit. I have to get out. I sprint towards the end of the alley. Out of nowhere, a van pulls up and cuts me off. I throw it out of the way with telekinesis. Then, a pack of piken bursts out of the back. There are at least 20. I throw most of them out of the way, but one manages to latch onto my arm. I roar in pain and punch it in the head. It yelps and lets go.

Clutching my wounded arm, I make a break for it. I have to get into the crowd where I can blend in and where they won't risk making a commotion. All of a sudden, I feel a sting in my arm the piken bit. I look down and it's a dart. Now I have to get out. I look behind me and the driver of the van is holding a tranquilizer gun. The dart is already sapping my energy. I've barely made it 10 feet before I collapse. Another van pulls up. I try to throw it away, but I can't think. All I want to do is go…to…sleep…

I wake up and my head hurts like crazy. My eyes slowly adjust to the blinding light. I smell gasoline. I try rotating my neck. The pain in my arm comes back. I inadvertently let out a gasp. I examine it. The teeth marks of the piken are embedded in my flesh. It's an open wound. No doubt it's already infected.

"So, the little Garde wakes up." I hear a voice and lift my head. A gang of Mogs has walked in. I'm in a blank room with a few chairs and a table. We're in some kind of warehouse. "Not so mighty anymore, are you?" The Mog chuckles. I keep silent. I need to find out what they want.

"At last. After all these months of futility, we shall finally please the Great One!" the leader of the gang slams his fist on the table.

"I don't suppose you're going to cook him a feast?" I mutter. The Mog laughs.

"We will be cooking, but the only one who will be cooked is you," he snickers.

"You don't really want to cook me. I don't taste that good," I say with acid sweetness.

"Jakor, forget the Garde!" One of the other Mogs yells. The Mog named Jakor comes closer. He puts a hand on my cheek.

"Such a pretty little Garde, aren't you?" he chuckles.

"Go fuck yourself," I spit. I try to lift him with telekinesis, but I can't focus. He sees what I'm trying to do and laughs.

"You've been drugged, idiot," he says, suddenly menacing. "We've made a special formula IV for you Garde. It lowers your ability to concentrate and use your Legacies." Shit. That's not good. "We'll leave you here. We have other business to attend to. Seven, there are now six." The gang leaves the warehouse. My mind wanders. They're just going to leave me in here to starve? I guess it would work now that the charm is broken. That doesn't seem like a very effective way to kill me though.

My question is answered a moment later. I see a flicker of the light of a match dropped onto the ground. As soon as it hits, I'm overwhelmed with a wave of heat. I cry out. That's why I smelled gasoline. They hosed the warehouse down with it so it would be flammable! I need to get out. I'm not fireproof like John.

I take a deep breath and inhale smoke. I go into a coughing fit and my eyes water. I hold my breath and close my eyes, trying to find an inner peace. I ignore the pain in my arm, the flames licking my heels. I need to get free first. I concentrate on trying to snap the chair with telekinesis. A wall of fire spreads near me and I awkwardly dive to the side. I continue my work on the chair. I put everything into it, and finally one of the legs severs.

I keep concentrating on the chair. Time is running out. The oxygen is being swallowed up and the flames are getting closer. I can't breathe. With a final burst of energy, the chair splits in half. The rope falls loose around my ankles and I gingerly step out of it. I back up against the corner and observe. The entrance is undoubtedly sealed off by flames. There's no way out. I grimace. Is this really how I'm going to die? Alone, in a building on fire, all because of a stupid trick I fell for?

I get furious. I punch a section of the wall and it collapses, but it burns my fist and I cry out in pain. God! Why haven't the firefighters noticed by now? Wait. Firefighters. Water. Yes! I had completely forgotten about my weather Legacy. I can create a rainstorm to put out the flames. I'm exhausted though. The IV is sapping my energy and I already spent most of it breaking the chair. _Come on, Six, _I urge myself. _You survived Mog armies, beasts, and FBI. You're not going out like this. _A section of the roof falls off, exposing the sky. I leap out of the way. However, now I can see the clouds.

With my last act of desperation, I raise my hands to the heavens. The clouds slowly start swirling and become gray. Then, they start to spin faster and lightning forms. Finally, the rain falls. It's not a heavy storm. It's not a light drizzle either. It's a wide column of rain, not heavy but enough to put out the fire. A flame scorches above my head, singing my hair. I cry out and dive to the ground. It's already wet. I've used all my energy. My head falls on the stone floor. A fat raindrop hits my back. I go unconscious, seriously hoping that this is not my end.

"Six? Six? Are you there?" I open one eyelid. I try to sit up but groan and slump back down. "Don't try sitting up. We'll get you out of here soon."

"Huh?" I ask. I open both eyes and I see Patricia, Marina, and Eight standing over me. "Where am I?" I say confusedly.

"The paramedics brought you here after that fire," Patricia explains. "They put burn ointment on most of your burns, but they say you'll probably be left with those marks forever."

"And that's why I'm here," Marina adds. "To heal you."

"Won't they get confused if all of my burns disappear?" I ask groggily.

"We're trying to break you out of here," Eight explains. "If the hospital found out about your Loric physiology, it wouldn't be good. That's why I'm here. As soon as Marina heals you and you're good enough to walk, we're teleporting out of here."

I look down at my body. The ugly piken bite is still there, and my arms are almost black. The rest of my body didn't fare so well either. The only places I didn't get burned were my chest and stomach.

"Alright, that's enough time." A nurse walks in with a rack of needles. I gulp. Not more IVs. "She's still in critical condition. We need to take care of her. Could I ask you to step out of the room?"

"Sure thing," Patricia says coldly. She walks out with Marina and Eight, whispering to them. The nurse is washing her hands and putting gloves on.

"How are you doing, Maren?" she asks. It takes a moment for me to think before I realize she's talking about me.

"Oh, um, good," I stammer.

"This might hurt your burns a little, so I'm gonna give you a shot and knock you out for a little while, okay sweetie?" the nurse tells me. She has a needle. I sigh. Now would be the time to break out of here.

The nurse bends down and leans over me. She's about to insert the needle when it jerks in her hand and shoots into her arm. She looks surprised for a moment, and then flops onto the ground. Eight walks in and inspects his handiwork.

"Was that really necessary?" I sigh.

"We can just say she was being clumsy," Eight says. "And besides, do you really want to stay here?" I don't say anything. "Exactly."

Marina places a hand on my shoulder. I feel the icy sensation spread from her fingertips and course through my body. My skin returns to its normal color and my slashed arm heals its tendons and becomes healthy.

"Alright, gang," Patricia says. "Let's get out of here."

We teleport in front of our building, on the beach. Eight goes back and grabs Patricia. Marina and I are about to walk in but we get mobbed by our team.

"Six!" Sarah exclaims and hugs me. "I'm so sorry! I tried to run back as fast as I could, but you'd already disappeared!"

"It's alright." I smile at her. Sam comes up to me with a grin on his face and hugs me.

"You ok?" he asks.

"The last time I checked, I was the one who could take care of myself," I joke. Sam frowns and John laughs. I exchange greetings with the other people. They're all grateful to see me, and it sounds like they were worried sick. Eight reappears with Patricia and we head inside.

It's about ten o'clock. I recount my story to the others while I eat dinner. When I'm finished, Patricia nods her head grimly.

"Obviously, the first thing we need to do is heighten security," she says. "Nine, get on it. I want maximum security of this building by the end of this week." Nine is about to protest, but Patricia cuts him off with an icy glare. "The second thing is, we need to find out more about the Mogs. We do have the tablet, so we could theoretically look up which base could have sent the Mogs that captured Six. And lastly, I'm going to redouble your training. All of you need to be prepared for a situation like this. And no more running outside." There's an outcry at this. Patricia silences them and continues. "I understand, but it's a security issue. From now on, you will run all of your jogs on the inside track. I will allow you to go out on the beach, but that will be it."

I finish dinner and the meeting is dismissed. I'm spent and I go to bed immediately. I think this is the first time I've been in bed before Sam. I close my eyes. The only thing I want to do is forget the events of today. Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully it'll be less eventful than this one.


	20. Chapter 20: Business as Usual

**Ok. First of all, I wanna apologize for not uploading sooner. I know it's been about a week, but I've had another long week. I thought the end of the school year was supposed to get less busy? And the NBA Playoffs have started, so that's always pretty crazy. I'm glad at least someone is counting how many days it's been :) Also saw Iron Man 3 Friday night. After watching that, I decided this story needs a lot more action. Not in this chapter, though. It's pretty ho-hum. It's basically just to put some MarinaxEight fluff in it. You guys might feel like the Garde aren't doing anything right now and they're just on vacation. Well, it's because they are. I promise I'll develop the plot of the war in two chapters. Next chapter is from Nine's viewpoint and it's about his relationship with Lucy. It's not gonna be what you think it is though...anyway, read on. I have nothing else to say for now.**

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Chapter 20

I love trees, water, and fresh air. So it's not surprising San Francisco is the perfect spot for me. Redwood trees, beaches, and crisp breezes. Plus the fact it's of Spanish origin. The morning jog is my favorite part of the day. It's relaxing and helps prepare me for the day ahead.

I finish this morning's run with Eight. We head back in and I prepare for my training. On the way up Patricia keys in the passcode. As part of the security Nine built, everything is locked down. The lobby door has a keypad, and an alarm sounds if you don't get it after three tries. The elevator plunges down and becomes a cage if you don't type in the passcode right. Adamus almost got his head taken off with an arrow a couple days ago because he opened the false door that lead to a trap room. There are false doors around the hallways that are rigged with traps. If you open one of them, a number of Nine's devilish horrors await you.

I work on strength and stamina training after our jog. I'm not as strong as some of the other Garde, but I'm still well above average humans. I jump in the pool and swim some laps. Then, I allow myself to sink to the bottom. I come here when I'm angry, confused, or hurt. I just sit at the bottom of the deep end and breathe. It's very relaxing, even if I just do it for fun.

I finish up and eat breakfast with Eight. We've been mostly doing things together the past couple of weeks. And no, it's not only because I love him. He's a great partner, one who'll always tell you what you need to work on. He's also not a bad fighter himself. Plus he's so cute!

We ride the elevator up to the fifth floor. We head straight to the arena and pick up our Chests along the way. I open mine to check that everything's there. The dark gloves, the tree branch, rocks, and the crystal compass. The only item that has any sort of use in battle are the dark gloves. I guess they went hand in hand with the dark glasses that could see things before they happened. These gloves can feel things before they happen. If someone's about to throw a punch at me, they'll jerk up and block it. They drag my body where they go. It's more of a defensive weapon. The only other thing of any sort of use is the tree branch. I can point at plant life and use it at my will. It's handy if we're fighting in forests, but most of the time that's not happening. The compass tracks macrocosms and the rocks are different minerals found on Lorien.

"I'll see you, Marina," Eight calls. He's heading into a ring with John. I wave and smile.

"Hey, Marina," Lucy says. I turn around as she walks up. "Wanna be my sparring partner today?"

"Sure," I answer. I put on the dark gloves and follow Lucy into an empty ring. She brings her bottomless water bottle. I breathe a sigh of relief. My gloves are pretty good, but the last time I went up with her boomerang my head hurt for two days after.

"Standard rules?" I assume. Lucy nods. I take a deep breath. I'm not that great of a fighter, but I've improved by learning from Six. I wiggle my fingers in the gloves and step into the ring. I wait for Lucy to make the first move. My attacking style isn't like most of the Garde. I prefer to counter whatever they do and not make any offensive moves.

Without warning, Lucy sprays a jet of water at me. The gloves take control and I somersault out of the way.

"That's a cute little move," Lucy comments. She fires another jet of water. I raise up my hands to block it, but some of the water gets on my gloves and arms. Lucy yells out a command and my arms freeze up.

"I'm not gonna shatter my arm when you break the ice, right?" I ask nervously.

"Relax," Lucy answers. "I only froze the outside of your arms." I exhale with relief. The gloves are beginning to gain their power again. My hands jerk and smash onto the floor. The ice breaks and my arms are free again.

Time to counter. Lucy sprays again and I dodge it. I get close to her. She sees me and throws a punch, but my left hand deflects it while my right counters with one of its own. Lucy lets out a grunt of pain and stumbles backwards. It's become a hand-to-hand fight now. Lucy can't risk trying to freeze me when some of the water might get on herself. Hand-to-hand is exactly where I excel at. The gloves react automatically, blocking kicks and elbows and throwing jabs and hooks. I throw in some kicks and manage to land some.

Lucy goes down. She's exhausted. I begin the count. Lucy's panting hard and she has trouble sitting up, let alone standing.

"Three, four, five," I continue. Looks like I'll win this one. There's a big board in the middle of the arena that shows the win-loss record for each Garde. It's supposed to motivate us to train harder. I don't really care about my rank, but I don't want to be last. Right now Nine and Six are at the top while Ella and I dwell at the bottom. It's not that big of a gap, though. We only trail people like Lucy and Eight by a few wins.

I get ripped off my feet suddenly. Lucy's telekinesis. I look down at Lucy and…she's disappeared. I look around frantically. How did I lose her? I look behind me and I get hit with a full-on blast of water and fall to the ground. I hear Lucy yell and my whole body becomes encased in ice. I look through the ice and see a blurry Lucy standing over me.

"Four, five, six," I hear from Lucy. It's not very clear. I try to struggle but the ice is too thick. I can't move a single part of my body. "Eight, nine, ten," Lucy finishes. She snaps her fingers and the ice crumbles. I fall out onto the ring and wearily pull myself up.

"You don't have to snap your fingers, do you?" I grumble.

"Nah, I just have to think it," Lucy says. "But I do it for the effect." She walks out of the ring and grabs a towel.

"Wait," I call. "How did you get away from me?" She looks back and grins.

"I'm a good actress." She winks and goes into her room. I nod, comprehending.

It's time for me to get some solo training in too. I head to my own room. My room is just like all the other Garde in terms of basic stuff. Drones, boulders, everything I need for standard training. I have a separate room where I fight drones in the dark. I can also go down to the pool and train underwater. There's a special gate at the bottom of the pool that opens drones. The keypad is only scanned to my fingerprints though.

I do some basic telekinesis work with the boulders to warm up. Then I try controlling some of the potted plants in my room with the tree branch. I'm getting better at using my Legacies and Inheritance. I'm also getting better at fighting drones. At first, I came out soaked on Level 5. Now I can do Levels 7 and 8 pretty well. I grab my gloves and head into the dark room.

I turn on the drones and shut the door. I'm surrounded by darkness, but I can see just as clearly as in broad daylight. I hear a beeping and flashing lights from the end of the room. I prepare myself. I can detect three drones with water guns. I sigh inwardly. I just had a fight involving water, and now I'm training with water. I dodge the blasts and bring one drone barreling into the other two. The lights fade and I hear the metal snapping.

I train for about the next 45 minutes or so. I lose count of how many drones I take out. I've just destroyed another mob when I hear a beep outside my room. I shut the drones off and walk outside.

"Marina, it is time for your swimming instruction," an automated voice says in my room. I sigh. I forgot about my swimming class again. Sam's probably already swimming laps by now. I'm one of the three Garde who have to teach as well as train. Unlike Six or Nine though, I actually need more training because I'm not in top form like them.

I instruct Sam, Malcolm, and Sarah with swimming. I don't get in the water; I just walk along the sideline and instruct them. It's just an hour and a half of walking along the side of the pool and yelling, but I enjoy it. It's a break from intense training and I get to help others.

I have a light lunch and talk with John and Ella. I can get along with most of the people in our team. For the most part, the people here like each other and we get closer through meals and training. There are some loose cannons like Nine though. I finish lunch and take the elevator back up.

I begin my afternoon training. I follow a similar schedule to the morning. I have a match with one of the other Garde, and then it's more self work. I head into the arena where Ella is fighting Adamus and Lucy's fighting Eight. I don't see any other available Garde so I decide to go do some more training first.

I change into a swimsuit and head down to the swimming pool. I jump in and immediately feel the coolness of the water surrounding me. I kick and swim down to the bottom of the deep end. I turn onto my back and look up. The lights in the ceiling pierce through the water and shine on the pool floor. Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm at the bottom of the ocean with no worries.

After about 10 minutes of this, I decide to get some training done. I back down to the floor, and then leap out of the pool and onto the side. I walk over to the keypad and set the drones. Then I gracefully dive back into the pool. A door opens at the bottom of the pool and specially modified drones swim out. Nine had to sweat for a few days to make these combat-ready. Since they can't use water guns, they emit a loud beep whenever they touch me.

I spend about half an hour fighting the underwater drones before I surface. It's time for my fighting lesson with Six. I dry myself off and ride up to the sixth floor. Ella is already there and Six is dressed in fighting gear.

"Hey, Marina," Six greets as I walk in.

"Hey, Six." I smile. Six is one of my best friends. The incident in Spain really brought us together, and she helped me get caught up with the other Garde.

"Had a good day so far?" Six asks casually. I nod as I get some gloves and pads. "Not getting close to Eight too much?" she adds with a smirk. I blush and she giggles.

"Hurry up, Marina," Ella calls. She's already in the practice ring. I spar for a bit with her. I don't see the point of this when I have the dark gloves, but Six insists it's always better to be prepared. Six teaches us for the next hour and we practice some moves. I'm worn out when we're done. I still have Legacy training to get back to.

Six still needs to teach Malcolm and Sam, so we decide to just have a friendly match after she's done. I end up losing when Six ambushes me with invisibility, but I'm feeling more confident in my abilities. Every time I fight Six, I can feel the gap narrowing. Eventually I'll be able to win against her. I finish my training for the day and take a shower. I go to the rec floor and play some games with Eight and Ella before dinnertime.

We eat dinner and as usual, the atmosphere is loud and jubilant. Nine and John crack jokes, the girls talk, and Patricia and Malcolm sit rolling their eyes. I finally feel like I'm part of a family. I never really had any connection with the girls back at the orphanage. Here, I feel safe and at home with my friends.

"So what do you wanna do tonight?" Eight asks me. We're in our room after dinner and I'm laying on his shoulder.

"I don't know," I reply. "You wanna go upstairs and join the others?"

"Not really. I mean, we do that every day." I nod. The arcade and basketball court have gotten relatively old by now.

"You wanna take a walk outside?" I ask. "Or go to the mall?"

"Nah," Eight says. "I don't really know. I wanna do something that's fun. Something we haven't done before."

"How about we go for a swim?" I suggest. Eight's eyes light up.

"That sounds great," Eight answers. "In the pool?"

"Or we could swim in the ocean," I say slyly.

"Let's do it," Eight says, grinning.

Eight tells Patricia while I get changed. I start thinking about Eight in swim trunks and blush to myself. I saw his body once, at the lake in India. I recovered his Chest and he kissed me. That was when I knew I was in love with him.

We head down to the beach. It's a warm night. In the distance, we can see lights from buildings and boats in the bay. Eight wraps his arm around my shoulder and we wade into the water.

"Ahh! The water's cold," I exclaim.

"You'll get used to it," Eight laughs. "Come on, let's go further." We wade out until only our heads are above the water.

"Nice night," Eight comments.

"Look at the stars," I say. We look up. They're not very clear because of the lights from the city, but we can still see them.

"They're pretty, aren't they?" Eight asks as he holds me. "Just like your eyes."

"Stop saying lines from movies," I tease. Eight holds his hands up.

"Hey, I'm not the one with the nickname 'Marina of the Sea'," he replies.

"It's a nice nickname," I retort. "I like it."

"You expect me to call you 'Marina of the Sea' the rest of your life?"

"That's not what you've been calling me now, is it?"

"Shut up," Eight says and splashes a little bit of water at me. I splash some at him to get him back. Of course, since neither of us can back down, a war starts. Since I can breathe underwater though, I naturally win.

"You have an unfair advantage," Eight complains. He shakes his hair and sprays me with water droplets.

"You have teleportation," I fire back. "You chose not to use it." Then I see Eight disappear and two hands grab me from behind.

"Eight!" I squeal. He lets go of me and I fall into the water. I surface and splash some water at him.

"Here we go again," Eight mutters. He starts running as fast as he can in the water. I swim after him and grab him. Then I hold him and splash a bunch of water.

"What was that for?" Eight protests. "I didn't even do anything!"

"You've been a bad boy," I tease. Eight grins and disappears from my grip. I see him reappear on the shore.

"You can't catch me, though," Eight yells from the beach. I start swimming as fast as I can to reach the shore. I grab Eight and look into his eyes.

"Who said I couldn't catch you?" I whisper. He disappears and I'm grabbed. Eight turns me around and looks into my eyes.

"Me," Eight says and winks. I kiss him on the lips and he kisses back. We stand there for a minute before I hear the door open.

"Um, guys?" John asks awkwardly from the door. We let go and turn to him. "Sorry to interrupt, but Patricia wants you guys back inside now." Eight grins sheepishly.

"Oh, sure," he says. "Tell her we'll be inside in about a minute." John nods and runs back inside, obviously happy not to have to be part of an awkward scene anymore. I turn to Eight.

"You're handsome," I whisper, putting a hand on his cheek. He brushes it away.

"We'll settle this tomorrow, Marina of the Sea," Eight says mischievously. "It's not over yet."

"That's what you think," I say and wink. We get dressed and head back inside. I take a shower and wait for Eight. He finishes and crawls into bed with me.

"Good night," Eight whispers and turns off the light with telekinesis.

"Sweet dreams," I whisper back.


	21. Chapter 21: Rough Waters

**Alright guys. First, I wanna apologize for not getting this up sooner. I know some of you have been waiting for this chapter and I didn't really do my part. I was gone the whole weekend and forgot to mention that in my last author's note. So many ideas, so little time. Hopefully once the summer starts I can shoot for two chapters in a week. Anyway, we have some Nine/Lucy fluff here. It's not the way you expect though. This will also be the last chapter where everything is easygoing. Next chapter the Garde will be given an awakening that the war is still going on. Anyway, happy reading!**

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Chapter 21

Life is boring. Wake up. Train. Eat. Sleep. Rinse and repeat. It's the ol' grind every day. The only entertaining things around here are the nightclubs. It's easy to get in when you have a fake ID and you're my height. Drink the night away, stare at racks, hit the dance floor. What else could you need?

"Dumbass! You didn't even cock it!" I yell. Sam mumbles something and fiddles with his gun. He gets it right and starts shooting again. I sigh. Of all people, how did **I **get picked for this job? Humans are hopeless. I've been stuck on this job for about two months now, trying to teach them how to shoot. I still have Sarah, Ella, and that stupid Mog left for the afternoon.

"You know, maybe we could learn more if you didn't just scream at us all the time," Sarah says sarcastically as she walks in.

"I don't need your damn opinion," I snap. I'm in a bad mood by my standards. Sam usually just accepts what I say. Not Sarah. John's girlfriend has to speak her mind every chance she gets.

"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about," Sarah continues. Sam finishes and the results show up on my screen. 62 percent. I just tell him that and let him go, not having any more energy to yell.

"Shut up and get your gun," I bark. Sarah rolls her eyes and grabs a SCAR-H from the rack. My eyes light up and I jump over there. "Whoa whoa whoa," I say, putting a hand on the gun. "This one's too dangerous. Here, try this one." I take a Glock 17 pistol and hand it to her.

"I've already used this one in practice 20 times," Sarah complains.

"Sucks for you," I reply. Sarah sighs and steps up to the range. The real reason I didn't want her using it was because the SCAR-H is my personal favorite. It's deadly, fast, and rips through anything. I only got one of those, and I'm the only one that's gonna use it.

For the next hour, I watch as Sarah misses. And again. And again. And yet again. It's almost as painful to watch as One Direction.

"Maybe if you looked at the target instead of the gun, you'd be able to hit better," I suggest.

"Do you talk like this to Lucy too?" Sarah fires back. That gets me. Technically, Lucy and I are still dating, but I rarely spend time with her anymore. Nightclubs are so much more fun. Now I kinda wish I was single. Not that I'm gonna tell her that.

Two hours later, my pain is over and so is dinner. I go into my room and get ready to leave. I'm changing my clothes when Lucy walks in.

"Hey babe," I greet.

"Hey," Lucy answers. "Are we gonna do something tonight?"

"Um, probably not," I say sheepishly. Lucy frowns and looks disappointed. "Look, I know you want to, but I'm busy again tonight."

"Meeting those 'friends' of yours?" Lucy asks sarcastically.

"Um, yeah," I say and laugh nervously.

"Nine, you can't keep leaving me like this," Lucy says sadly. My heart wrenches.

"I promise this will be the last time," I say quickly.

"That's what you said last time too," Lucy says softly.

"I know what I said, but this time it'll be different," I amend. "Just tonight, ok? Then I promise we can spend all the time in the world doing whatever you want."

With that, I give her a quick kiss and leave. I check the time. It's 7:37. Plenty of time. That's good because it's Saturday night. I call over a taxi.

"Where to?" The driver asks.

"Temple Bar and Lounge, San Jose," I reply. The driver nods and starts driving. I could just run there, but there are tons of people on the streets at night. The taxi goes slower than I do, but because I have to weave around people, taking a car is faster.

I pay the taxi driver and walk out. I can already hear the music coming from inside the club. I get up to the door but a guard stops me.

"Where's your ID, kid?" he asks. I flash my fake ID. It says I'm 22. The guard recognizes it and grins. "Stan! Welcome to the party!" he grins and slaps me on the back. I laugh and walk in.

I'm not just a regular here. I'm practically king. The ladies love me and I get whatever drinks I want. I go by Stanley Worthington. People thought I was a geek at first, but then they got to know me. I go over to the bar and grab some drinks first.

"Stan, my bro!" The bartender comes over and gives me a high five. I laugh and sit down on one of the stools.

"You know what to do, Ron," I tell him. Ron nods.

"So what will it be this time?" he asks.

"The usual," I answer. "Get me the Barbados."

"I'm on it," Ron calls and goes to work making my drink. I watch some sports on the TV while I'm waiting. The dance floor isn't in full swing yet, so I figure I might as well loosen up before then. A blonde sits down at the stool next to me. She's wearing a low-cut shirt and short shorts. I grin inwardly. Time to go to work.

"Hey," I greet. She looks up and smiles.

"Hey," she says back. "Aren't you…"

"Stan Worthington," I finish and extend a hand. "Nice to meet you. And you are?" The blonde giggles.

"Rachel," she says, still giggling.

"Nice," I say. "So what brings you here?"

"Just Saturday night," she responds. "Wanna have a little fun."

"Girls just wanna have fun," I quote. "How old are you?"

Rachel leans in and whispers. "I'm actually 19, but I got some friends to make me a fake ID that says I'm 21."

"You're a bad girl." I grin. "But don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

"Can I trust you?" she asks slyly. I wink.

"Absolutely," I say. "But I need a favor." Just then, Ron comes with my drink and I thank him. I take a sip and continue. Rachel leans in closer.

"What kind of favor?" she whispers. I smile. Now we're rolling.

"Are you single?" I ask. She looks around and then turns to me.

"My boyfriend doesn't have to know," she whispers, winking.

"That's okay," I reply. "So how about a little dance?"

"Oh, of course." Rachel puts a hand on my cheek and looks into my eyes. I grin.

"Meet me on the dance floor at 10." Rachel nods and leaves. I finish my drink and tell Ron to get me another. This is the life. I swig a couple more drinks. Some other regulars come over and we drink and watch the game together. I check the time. It's 9:15. People are already dancing. I'll finish the game and then head over to the dance.

Ten o'clock comes and I see Rachel waiting for me along the side. I wink at her and motion for her to come.

"I knew you'd come," I tell her.

"Anything to be with the infamous Stan Worthington," Rachel says and kisses me. It's a bit surprising. I break free and gesture to the DJ.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the DJ announces. "Stan Worthington is IN THE HOUSE!"

I hear cheers and roars from the crowd. Everyone stops what they're doing and listens.

"I see you got another one of them ladies, Stan," the DJ jokes. I grin and laugh. "Your choice of music again. What do you want?"

"Give me a sexy beat," I say quickly and turn to Rachel. "Ready to dance?" I wink. Rachel blushes and nods. I take her hand and step onto the stage.

Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna comes on. This is my favorite song. I dance to it with all girls. Then I go to their house and we have some fun. I look into her eyes and quickly spin around. She laughs and the hair falls in her face. I get a seductive look in my eyes while the music plays.

_I wanna take you away_

_Let's escape into the music, DJ let it play_

_I just can't refuse it_

_Like the way you do this_

_Keep on rocking to it_

_Please don't stop the, please don't stop the music_

We dance for an hour. The crowd cheers around us and I kiss her a couple times. I tell the DJ to play Run This Town by Jay-Z and S&M also by Rihanna, among others. When we finish it's 11:20. I have a couple more drinks. My vision starts to blur. I'm about to get in the car of Rachel outside the bar.

"Ready to have some more fun?" Rachel says seductively.

"Hehehe…sure," I reply giddily. I'm not sure what happens next. I hear a crash on the roof. I'm drunk so I don't know what it is. Rachel screams and I see the door get torn off.

"Santa's here!" I yell. I get pulled out of the car and into the eyes of…someone. She looks familiar. "Are you one of Santa's elves?" I exclaim. She slaps me and I see a little better. It's Lucy. Oh shit.

"Hey," I say casually, still giddy. Lucy brings me to Patricia, who has a stern look on her face. I get in their car and we drive home in silence. When we get home, Lucy explodes.

"How could you do this to me?" she yells, sobbing. Patricia comforts her. "Why, Nine? WHY?"

"Y, y, y," I sing. "X, y, z!" Patricia drags me out and dunks me into the ocean. I surface splashing and gasping for breath.

"He's obviously drunk," Patricia mutters. "We've been tracking what you're doing, Nine."

"Whar?" I say stupidly. Patricia sighs.

"We hacked into the camera feed of the bar," Patricia explains. "We saw what you've been doing the past few weeks. And we saw you get in that car with that girl just a while ago."

"Bastard!" Lucy screams, and keeps crying. For the first time, it actually registers with me. I feel a stab of guilt and look down.

Patricia tells me to go to my room. I oblige. I flop down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. I'm still drowsy from drinking. What have I done? Did I seriously forget about Lucy? She's my fucking girlfriend. I sigh and turn on my side.

I close my eyes, but I can't sleep. 20 minutes later I hear the door open. I assume it's Lucy. She sighs and goes into the shower. I hear the water being turned on and roll around to look at the door. Then I hear a voice.

"_I knew you were trouble when you walked in_

_It's a shame on me now_

_Flew me to places I've never been_

_Till you put me down, oh_"

Lucy's singing. I didn't really think about the meaning I Knew You Were Trouble until now. It's ironic because it's a perfect song for our situation. A single tear trickles down my eye and I go to sleep.

The next morning I can't wake up. I have a hangover from last night. Lucy slaps me and I wake up.

"What was that for?" I groan.

"Get up," Lucy says coldly. "It's time for our run." I try standing but crash. Lucy snorts and walks out of the room. After about 15 minutes I recover and I can stand. I get down to the beach. As soon as I arrive the rest of the Garde stare at me. The news is probably out. Patricia starts our run and I'm dead last. My legs feel like heavy lead.

The Garde snicker when I finish last. Even Ella and Adamus finish before me. Patricia shakes her head and dismisses us. I try to get my limbs back, and they're finally starting to feel normal again by breakfast. Then my Legacy training starts and it's a completely different story. My telekinesis is sluggish, my staff doesn't extend, and I get soaked by the drones. Apparently hangovers affect Legacies too.

I fail my training. If anything can move, it gets the best of me. Luckily Patricia doesn't observe our training, but I hear the other Garde snicker when I fall off the wall or the spiky ball almost takes my head off. I can't even change the color now!

I don't even yell at people during shooting. I just sit there with a hand on my face. I let them do whatever they want. I shoot a couple myself and they're all off. Sarah calls me a hypocrite and I tell her to shut up.

We have dinner and I poke at my food. I'm not really in a good mood. The table's a lot quieter than usual. The other Garde talk quietly and eat.

"This table's way too quiet," Malcolm announces, breaking the silence. "Anyone wanna tell me why?"

"Maybe because Mr. Hotshot's not talking," Six says, looking at me.

"Yeah, heard you're not sailing smooth," John snickers. I growl.

"Guys, leave him alone," Marina says. I glance over at Lucy. She sees me and fixes me with an icy stare. I shuffle awkwardly and start eating.

After dinner I go up to the rec floor. Patricia banned me from going out for a month, so I'm stuck here. I play some arcade games with Eight and shoot some hoops. I hear a high-pitched scream coming from the girls. They're giggling. Naturally I want a piece of that.

It's Sarah, Six, and Marina. They quiet down once they see me come.

"What is it, Nine?" Six snaps. I hold my arms up.

"Just checkin' out what you guys were laughing about," I say innocently.

"Aren't you in a relationship?" Sarah asks, and they all crack up. I'm not fazed.

"Can I join your little game?" I press.

"Sure, as long as Lucy doesn't mind," Marina says. I think. Will Lucy care? I look over at her. She's playing air hockey with Ella. Her back is turned to me. I guess that's a no.

"So what are we playing here, ladies?" I ask.

"Deal or No Deal," Six replies.

"I'm good at this, babe," I wink.

"Nine, stop being a womanizer," Six snaps. "Besides, don't you know I'm taken?"

"By that nerd?" I snort. "You'd be a lot better off with me," I whisper. Six pushes me away.

"Shut up and play," Six grumbles. She presses some buttons on the machine and the cases of 1, 3, and 8 tickets are eliminated.

"That's pretty good, babe," I remark. "But I bet I can do better."

"Can you stop it with the 'babe'?" Sarah complains. "You sound like a creep."

"Whatever," I grumble and stab some buttons. I end up eliminating the 50 and the 75.

"Nice going," Six says sarcastically. We finish the game with 37 tickets.

"Play again?" I question. Six sighs and nods.

"I have nothing else to do," she mutters. We play again.

"Babe, don't pick that case," I say, reaching out a hand.

"Get your hand off me," Six says and slaps it away. I grab it again.

"Oh no you don't," I whisper. "I'm not gonna be refused."

"You. Are. A. Fucking. Creep," Six says, with each of the words gaining in volume. She pulls my arm and twists it behind my back. I grunt in pain.

"Ow. Take it easy. I was just kidding," I say.

"Hey, Lucy!" Six calls. She turns her head. Damn it. "You wanna get your boyfriend out of here? He's being a creep."

"He's not my boyfriend anymore," Lucy says coldly. She comes over and kicks me in the balls. I let out a yell of pain. She stares at me, and then walks away. Six lets me go and I fall to the floor. My face is buried in the carpet and I think about what I've just done.

It's been two weeks since Patricia found out about what I did at the club. I spend my time alone training. I rarely talk to anyone unless they talk to me first. I redouble my efforts. Training is the only thing that keeps my mind off Lucy breaking up with me. The dinner table settles into a quiet calm without me talking. I could care less. After dinner I shoot 100 free throws and then go to sleep. Lucy moved in with Patricia after our breakup. I'm trying to work up the nerve to apologize. I want to get back together with Lucy. I really do.

I've learned not to take anything for granted. I took Lucy for granted and now look at my situation. Right now I'm looking across the shooting range in deep thought as Sarah fires.

"Hey." I hear a voice. It takes me a moment to realize its Sarah's. "Can I have my scores?"

"Oh, um, sure," I say, breaking out of my train of thought. I read them off to her and give her a few absentminded pointers. She starts shooting again and I go back into thought. I unconsciously slam my fist down on the board and Sarah turns and looks at me. I realize what I've done and tell her it has nothing to do with her.

The slam on the table meant now. I'm going to apologize now and try to get back with Lucy. Tonight. No more waiting. I can't hold this off any longer. Lucy's still giving me the cold shoulder, but it's not as bad as before. I'm going to apologize and make up for my mistakes.

After dinner, I pull Lucy aside.

"Hey, can you meet me on the roof at 9?" I ask. Lucy raises her eyebrows.

"What for?" she asks.

"Um, I need to tell you something important. Can you just come?" Lucy hesitates, then nods. I thank her and head up to the gym. I shoot my 100 free throws. 55 of them go in. I'm improving. I don't play basketball, but I can naturally pick it up quickly.

I take the elevator up to the seventh floor. Then I find the stairs that go to the rooftop. No one comes here very often. I step onto the roof. The breeze is cool and I see city lights all around. I see the waves lap against the coast. I sit down and wait for Lucy.

Lucy comes five minutes after nine.

"No trouble getting up here?" I ask as she sits down next to me. Our legs hang over the ground.

"No," she responds. "Alright, let's hear it. It's about us. So what do you wanna say?"

I take a deep breath. "Well, I just wanna apologize for being an asshole the last few weeks," I begin. "I know I was being inconsiderate. It's my fault."

"I wanna tell you something," I continue. "Something I haven't ever told anyone before. Back when we were all living alone and on the run, I met a girl in Chicago. Her name was Maddy. My Cepan wanted me to get out and meet new people. We were living in a penthouse. I fell in love with her. We called each other and met at the rock climbing wall each day."

"Things started to get suspicious. I took her for a ride and Mogs showed up. I panicked and crashed the car. Maddy got mad but wanted to forgive me. She told me to meet her at her house and I got captured by Mogs. That's when they told me she was working with them in exchange for her parents. Looking back, I can't blame her."

"The Mogs lied. Add that to the list of why they're assholes. They let Maddy meet her parents, then killed them all off with a piken. They imprisoned me for a year. That's why I'm such an asshole now. I hated the world. I wanted to burn all of Mogadore down."

"That's interesting," Lucy states. "But what does it have to do with me?"

"Ever since John rescued me I've had this shell grown around me," I explain. "The tough, badass exterior was kind of protection against my hurt. The time in prison changed me. But after what happened two weeks ago, I think you broke my shell. The real me emerged again. The guy who ran through Chicago, trained, and didn't hate anyone. That's why I think you helped me, Lucy."

"So…do you wanna get back together?" Lucy asks.

"I was getting to that," I answer and smile. "Lucy, I promise I'll never treat you like this again. And you can trust me this time. I love you and I won't let anything happen to you."

"So no more partying with random girls?" Lucy asks.

"No more partying," I agree. "Well, just not with girls," I wink. Lucy rolls her eyes.

"You better not," she mutters. "I might just have to kick your ass again."

"I'm not scared." I smile and give her a kiss. She returns it. We take a look at the full moon outside for a moment. Then, we head back inside. For the rest of the night, I have the feeling I really can fly.

* * *

**Next chapter will be from John's viewpoint. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a math test to cram for the rest of the night. Kinda disappointed in the lack of reviews for the last chapter. Just because I forgot to remind you doesn't mean you don't leave one...it only takes two minutes...so don't forget to review!**


	22. Chapter 22: No, I'm Pittacus

**Somehow I found the time to write this weekend. School's winding down and I've got a lot of free time. Too bad this is only the calm before the storm known as...finals week :/ So hopefully this chapter will be more exciting than the past three chapters or so. There's not any actual fighting, but there will be tons of things revealed about the Elders and Pittacus specifically. I also threw in a John/Sarah scene since this is from John's POV ;) If it's any compensation for John/Six lovers, I was originally gonna make it a lot longer than it is. Which reminds me. This is another one of my speeches on how John/Sarah is better than anything else, so I guess you can just skip it if you don't wanna hear it. This is just something I was thinking about over the weekend. James Frey (writing under the pseudonym Pittacus Lore) has really put himself into a no-win situation. After the Power of Six, most people assumed John would go with Six. Now, if Sarah hadn't been rescued in the Rise of Nine, I wouldn't have enjoyed it, but at least it would have made sense. Now John has Sarah or Six to choose from. Either way, he loses. If he picks Six, Sarah gets neglected and forgotten. She gets sent back to Paradise. If John picks Sarah, a bunch of questions pop up about how the Loric will repopulate the planet once the war is over and blah blah blah. Either way the plot will make no sense from a romantic standpoint. Okay, I'm done. You can read on now :)**

* * *

Chapter 22

I wake up to the sound of heavy panting. I blink my eyes open and there's fur all over my eyes. I sit up and BK falls off the bed.

"Don't do that, BK," I scold. _Who says I can't? _A voice replies in my head. I shake my head. "Come on boy, let's go for a run."

BK comes for our morning runs. I get downstairs and join the Garde. We take our run and train. Same old, same old. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever fight the Mogs again. Not that I'm complaining. I'm getting better at fighting every day. A year ago at this time I wouldn't even dream of being this good.

In addition to our Legacy training, Patricia gives us lessons on what's in our Chests. I know about most of the weapons in my Chest. Patricia also taught me how to take the red bracelet off. She says it's called a Cleobulian Band. It's named after the Loric Elder Cleobulus who invented them as an almost impenetrable shield. Patricia's lessons are like history class back in high school, except with the fate of Earth at stake.

I have a Chest lesson today, so I have to skip my strength training. I head up to the Legacy floor and go into a separate room. Patricia is waiting for me with my Chest.

"So, let's review," Patricia begins. She picks up my dagger. "Why does this conform to your hand?"

"Because the handle is made out of the same material as the Mogadorian guns," I answer. "It traces the DNA signature of the first person who touches it and binds to them."

"Good," Patricia says. "Moving on. What is the function of this?" She picks up the star-shaped talisman in my Chest.

"It's like a tracker for the Loric pendants," I respond. "It only works within a mile or so. If a Garde picks it up it'll heat up when it gets near a pendant. It's called the Star of Loralite."

"Great." Patricia smiles. "Let's get started. I haven't taught you about the black diamond yet." She rummages through my Chest while I go over the other items. I already know most of the items. The Xlitharis, healing stone, and water cube are all old-time favorites. The leaves with twine are just a commodity and come from a tree on Lorien. I have some items others don't. The big Loric crystal is used to help new Garde learn their Legacies faster. Patricia speculates I might be Pittacus Lore because the leader of the Elders needs to learn their Legacies faster until they have their final Legacy. I believe I'm Pittacus. But some Garde (like Nine…) don't think so.

Patricia also says that between all the Elders, every Legacy is covered. Each generation of Elders has a different combination of Legacies. But eventually, we all get the same final Legacy as the Elder we're supposed to represent. However, since three Garde were killed off, not all of the Legacies are accounted for anymore.

"Let me show you what this does," Patricia whispers. She speaks a command and lets go of the diamond. It begins spinning. It starts spinning faster and faster and just stays there in space. Patricia speaks another command and the diamond begins to move around. She raises a hand and controls where it goes.

"So what is this supposed to do?" I ask skeptically.

"Nothing," Patricia replies with a smile. "You know, Loric people have their recreation too. This was an expensive toy on Lorien. If you had one, you were what people here would call 'hip'."

"So it won't help me with anything?" I ask. "I just control where it can go and it spins around?"

"By now you should have learned not every item in your Chest has a purpose in battle," Patricia replies. "But the edges are a little sharp."

"So we're down to the last thing in my Chest," I conclude. "The pearly stone."

"Ah, yes." Patricia looks at the stone. "We'll have to head down to the sea for this one." We head downstairs and walk onto the beach. Patricia looks at the stone. Then she throws it into the sea. I let out a cry of protest, but Patricia holds a finger to her lips and tells me to watch. I see the stone resurface and slowly expand.

The stone expands until it's about seven feet long and five feet wide. Patricia lets the huge stone glide on the waves towards the shore. I haven't figured out why it's floating.

"Get on the stone," Patricia says softly. I oblige and cautiously put one foot on the stone. It rocks a little bit but seems to be fine. I put both feet on so I'm standing on it. Patricia gets on after me.

"So this is like a boat?" I ask.

"Yes," Patricia says. "It's kind of like a Loric lifeboat. Without any sides, of course. It's not really meant to be permanent, just a quick lifesaver if it's needed."

I nod. That's cool. I try moving the boat by paddling it with my hands.

"Is there like a paddle for this?" I ask.

"Sadly, no," Patricia responds. "Like I said, it's only quick emergency relief. Some Loric packed paddles with these for in case their ships sank. Unfortunately only the stone was included in your Chest."

Patricia pulls the raft out of the water and it shrinks back to stone size. We head back up to the Legacy floor and I put the stone back in my Chest. I head down and grab a quick breakfast. Then I go to my Legacy training.

I decide to get some solo training in first. I head into my room. I've got boulders, a fire hose (in case I do lose control of my Lumen), and the drones. BK trains with me so I can practice animal communication. BK's in his favorite beagle form and already jumping on some punching bags laying around in the corner.

"Ready to go, buddy?" I ask. BK wags his tail. He turns into some kind of big cat and roars. I chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes." I light up my hands and check that I'm wearing the special flameproof suit that Patricia designed. I press the button and light myself on fire. It's showtime.

I've set the level to 10. 8 drones swarm out at once. BK growls and pounces on the first one. I mold a fireball and throw it at one of the others. It explodes into flames instantly. The drones behind it spray water at me and I tuck and roll. I come up under the drone and jump up. Since I'm covered in fire, the drone melts.

BK's doing work with the other drones. They're slashed to bits of metal and we destroy the entire first wave. The door whirs and at least 15 more come out. I spend the next hour training until I'm gasping for breath. It's a good feeling. I've worked my tail off again. I'm confident if any Mogs wanna storm the building, I'll be ready.

The day, as usual, passes by in a blur. I get my training done and have meals. After dinner, while the rest of the group goes and does their usual recreation, I head up alone to get my physical training in. I didn't have time for it because of my Chest lesson this morning, so I'm skipping the fun to put in more work.

I run some laps on the track to get warmed up. Then I hit the machines. I set every machine to the maximum weight and start lifting. I still feel a little strain, but I can do sets repeatedly. I spend an hour like this. Recently I've become a workaholic. I find training exhausting but satisfying. It's one more step towards taking on the Mogs.

I head up to the arena and practice some fighting moves. I execute punches and kicks on bags and shadowbox for fun. I hear footsteps coming up behind me and turn around.

"I've been looking for you," Sarah says as she walks in. I smile.

"What for?" I ask.

"I was getting a little lonely down there," Sarah says with a smile.

"You have friends. Don't you play games with them?"

"Yeah, but that gets kinda boring when you do it every day."

"So you came running up here?"

"Pretty much." Sarah shrugs. She looks at me. "Looks like you've been working really hard."

"I guess you could say that."

"How come you didn't come up here this morning?"

"I had a Chest lesson with Patricia."

"Oh. Figures. Wanna have a fight?" This takes me by surprise.

"Um, why?" it's the first thing that comes out. I regret it and feel stupid.

"I'm bored," Sarah replies casually. "And I wanna see if you're as good as they say."

"I'll probably take it easy on you."

"Don't. I've been practicing. I'm pretty sure I can at least knock you down to the ground once."

"Doubt it. But if you want to, that's fine. Your funeral."

Sarah chuckles and grabs some gear from the sides. I have gear on so I just wait.

"And no using your Legacies," Sarah adds as she puts her gloves on. Just to tease her, I lift her a few inches above the ground with telekinesis. She squirms. "That's not fair! Put me down!" I laugh and release her.

"So are you ready?" I ask. She nods. We step into the ring. I decide to go about 5% since Sarah is a human.

We start and I throw a few jabs to test. Sarah doesn't flinch and blocks them. She kicks and I block it without thinking. We carry on like this for about a minute before I land the first real blow. Sarah mistimes the block and my punch hits her on the arm. She winces in pain and I get concerned.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I go over to help her with her arm. She doesn't respond, and instead punches me. I stumble backward. It didn't hurt, but it took me by surprise.

"I'm fine, thank you." Sarah grins. "Told you not to take it easy on me."

"If that's what you want," I answer. I launch a series of kicks. She manages to block the first two but the third hits her in the side. She doubles over. Trusting her word, I don't go over to help her this time. She seems to be fine and gets back up. The fight is still on.

We fight even after five more minutes. I don't really use any effort still. Then I get worried. Is Sarah ready for Mogs yet? If she's been training hard for this long and she can only fight to a draw when I'm not even trying… but then I realize Mogs are no fighters. They use weapons and mind control, but aren't actually very good on the physical side.

While I'm thinking about this, I get distracted. Sarah finds an opening and lashes out. I don't block it in time and I get hit in the stomach. It actually hurts a lot. I cry out and fall down to the ground. Sarah leaps on me and grabs my neck.

"Told you I could knock you to the ground," she says smugly.

"I wasn't paying attention," I acknowledge. "It's not gonna happen again."

"Riiiight," Sarah drawls. "So should I finish you off now?"

"You know you can't," I tell her.

"No, you know I can," she says. She presses a knee on my stomach and I grunt. Then, in one sudden movement, I get her off of me and she falls on her back. I get on her.

"Don't let your guard down," I whisper. Sarah giggles.

"This is…interesting," she acknowledges.

"I guess this means you lost," I say. She squirms but she can't move.

"This isn't fair! You have super strength and stuff."

"You're whining again." In one movement I pick her up and throw her over my back. She laughs but can't get free. I carry her into the elevator and we go down.

I pass Eight on the way to our room. He looks at me with his eyebrows raised but doesn't say anything. Sarah's gone quiet. I wink at him and go into our room. I drop Sarah on the bed and close the door. As soon as I turn around I feel Sarah's arms around my neck. She pulls me down on the bed into a deep kiss.

"I love you," Sarah whispers.

"What else is new?" I chuckle. I kiss her again passionately. She slips my shirt off and we spend the next hour making out. I haven't done this with Sarah in a while. Our everyday lives make it pretty hard to have any time together. And I cherish any moment I can get with her.

After about an hour, we finish and lay on the bed. I smile at Sarah.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" she comments.

"Sure," I say and laugh. "Just like old times."

"Just like old times," Sarah agrees and gets up. I check the clock on the nightstand. It's almost nine. I don't have any energy to do anything else today. I'm still shirtless. I feel so stupid, just laying on the bed while Sarah takes a shower. After waiting another half hour for Sarah to finish, I decide I don't really care and just fall asleep on the bed.

My eyes shoot open. Where am I? I look around. There's a small figure in the distance. I don't think it's my Somnium kicking in again because I would be on Earth if it happened. I take in my surroundings. I'm just in space. Everything around me is mostly blue, but occasionally it shifts colors. There's nothing else in here. I'm standing on nothing, but I can still walk like I'm on solid ground. I decide to walk towards the figure in the distance.

Everything in this strange realm seems to have the same properties as Earth. I judge the distance to be about a mile and cover it in five minutes. As I get closer, I see that the figure is Eight. I'm not within earshot yet, but I start to get nervous. Is this another one of Setrakus Ra's twisted visions?

I meet up with Eight and try talking.

"Hey," I say cautiously. Eight looks surprised.

"We can talk to each other?" he says, shocked. "What is this place?"

"I'm just as much in the dark as you are," I say. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

We stand around for a moment. Eight puts a hand to the ground but comes up with nothing. Then, we hear it. Something sounds like electricity behind us. We spin around and see a void opening in the space. It's a dark blue and electricity sparks around it. Then, a hand reaches out. I jump back in horror. A man starts stepping through the portal. It expands to let him through. When he's finished, the portal shrinks quickly and he looks at us. We get a good look at him for the first time. He's ten feet tall and dressed in a gray robe. Blue symbols adorn the robe and he's bald. He looks surprisingly human, and notices us for the first time.

"Number Four?" he asks me. I take a moment to break out of my shock and squeak out a yes. "And Number Eight?" Eight nods his head furiously. The man looks content. "Very good. I am relieved I have brought you here safely. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pittacus Lore."

"Y-y-you're…Pittacus…" I stutter.

"Don't look so surprised," Pittacus admonishes. "Come, have a seat." I look at Eight and he looks back. We look at "Pittacus" and he's sitting down. Eight bends down and I do the same.

"Are you really…" Eight begins. Pittacus holds up a hand to silence him.

"Yes, I am Pittacus Lore, if you had any doubts," he answers. "I am sure you two have many questions right now. I am afraid I cannot answer them all, but I will be visiting you again in the future."

"Does this mean the war is coming to an end?" I say excitedly. "You must be able to help us."

"Unfortunately, it does not," Pittacus responds gravely. "We still have much more work to do. The war is far from over. But in a sense, the war is coming to an end. However, I do not think it will happen for at least a few more years." The dismay shows on my face. Pittacus smiles. "Do not pressure yourself about it. What this generation's Elders have overcome rivals some of the greatest to ever take the names of the Loric Elders."

"So we are the Elders, aren't we?" Eight asks. "Isn't that why you brought us here?"

"Yes, you are the Elders," Pittacus answers. "That is why the rest of the Loric only saved you when the Mogadorians attacked. If we were to have any chance of survival, only the children who represent the Loric Elders would have any chance of taking down the entire Mogadorian army."

"Who's Pittacus?" I blurt out. He turns to me with a puzzled expression on his face. "I mean, who's supposed to represent you?" I amend. "We know you are the leader of the Elders and the most powerful. Who, out of all of us, is supposed to lead us to victory?"

Pittacus looks thoughtful for a moment. Then he looks down at me and starts to speak. "I had originally planned to answer this question later," he says. "But I think there must be an exception made, especially since we do not know what could happen next. So let me explain this. The answer of who is the heir to my role is not as straightforward as the Cepan may have taught you."

"What do you mean?" Eight asks. "The Cepan always said they would eventually discover the one who was meant to be Pittacus."

"Yes, but the Cepan do not know how that Elder is chosen," Pittacus replies.

"Man, stop talking in riddles," I whine. It might have been a little harsh, but I needed answers. Thankfully Pittacus doesn't seem to mind.

"Very well. Let us start with this. Why do you think I brought you here?" he asks.

"Because I'm Pittacus," Eight and I say automatically at the same time. We look at each other in surprise. Pittacus chuckles.

"Yes, but no," he says. "It is not as simple as that. Allow me to explain. In each generation of Elders, we observe the children at a very young age. However, due to your circumstances, only I was able to observe all of you."

"What happened to the other Elders?" I ask.

"That is a tale for another time," Pittacus says. "Anyway, I observed the Garde ever since you left the ship and first came onto this planet. I watched you grow, train, and mature. And eventually, I selected the two who would be most deserving of my role."

"So both of us are Pittacus?" Eight asks confusedly.

"No. Just because I have selected both of you does not mean both of you will be Pittacus," Pittacus explains. "There is still only one lead Elder. In time, I will select that Garde."

"So how do we know who's Pittacus?" I ask with a hint of frustration in my voice.

"Now that you two know you have been selected, you must prove to me you are worthy of taking this great role of leadership and responsibility. This is how it has always been. The previous ten Elders select the two Garde out of the next ten that will be most deserving of the role. Then they must show, throughout a period of weeks and months, how they have grown to understand the role of Pittacus."

"So that's it?" I ask. "We have to prove to you how we're worthy? How do we do that?"

"Know and understand the role of Pittacus. Show that you are mature and ready to lead the Elders. You need not be a powerful mage or a skilled fighter. You will just have to prove that you are the wisest of the Elders," Pittacus tells us.

"When will you choose?" Eight asks.

"When I have determined my decision," Pittacus says simply. "In the meantime, I will continue to visit you in your dreams. I will give you the skills and knowledge needed to win this war. This is enough for your first time. Return to your world and contemplate about the role of Pittacus. I must warn you, however. If you do not act against the Mogadorians soon, they will do so against you."

Pittacus starts to disappear. I feel a pull on me and I can't resist. I see Eight getting pulled too. The void opens and Pittacus steps through. He takes one more look at us behind his shoulder.

"Wait!" I yell. "What do you mean, 'we're running out of time'?" Pittacus doesn't hear me. The void closes and I get pulled even harder. The world starts spinning and I close my eyes. When I open them I'm back in my room in San Francisco. Sarah's asleep next to me and BK's curled up on the floor. I throw some clothes on and burst out the door. I almost run into Eight when I turn the corner.

"Did you…see that…?" Eight pants, out of breath. I nod quickly. We both know what happened. What we just experienced was very real. We storm up to Patricia's room. I knock on the door and I hear Ella say "Come in".

"Patricia," Eight calls. She wakes up and looks at us. Eight explains our dream and what happened in it. Patricia listens thoughtfully while Eight explains.

"Interesting," Patricia states when Eight's done explaining. "The introduction of Pittacus has thrown a whole new wrinkle into the war."

"What do you mean, the introduction?" I ask. Patricia looks surprised.

"Don't you remember?" she asks. "No one knows where Pittacus is. Some said he was dead, others say he was just hiding. From what you two have just experienced, we know Pittacus is alive. We don't know where he's hiding, however. If he's still got even a tiny bit of strength, though, he could be a deciding factor in the war."

"So what do we do now?" Eight asks. Patricia thinks for a moment.

"I think our training can do for now," Patricia says. "We're not where I'd like us to be, but we can do with it. I think we should start attacking some of the nearby Mog bases." She sees the surprised looks on our faces and chuckles. "Don't be scared. You guys took down an entire base without everyone's help, didn't you? And from the map, most of these bases are smaller than the one you destroyed. I think we've been sitting around for too long. It's time for us to go on the offensive."

"Do you think the humans will be ready?" Eight asks.

"I wouldn't worry about them too much," Patricia says. "We can assign them smaller roles for this first one. Give them a taste of what's to come. And if what Pittacus said is any indication, we do need to take action. I completely agree with him. As for now, head downstairs for your jog. I'll do some planning in here and get back to you guys later."

Eight and I walk out of Patricia's room and head downstairs. My head is swarming with thoughts. I have so many questions to ask Pittacus. Now I also have to watch what I'm doing. Pittacus will use whatever powers he has as an Elder and watch my every move. Only one thing's for certain, though. The stakes just got a lot higher.

* * *

**Next chapter will be revealing more about Setrakus Ra and how to fight him. Things heat up after that. Don't forget to review!**

**UPDATE: Sorry guys, the next chapter won't be up for at least another week or maybe two. My stupid school decided now would be a good time to pile on a bunch of tests and projects in the last two weeks of school. Honestly, it'll be surprising if I can even get started on the next chapter next week. To compensate I'll try to have two chapters up at once when summer starts. Sorry for the inconvenience!**


	23. Chapter 23: Planning Ahead

**Ok, guys. I wrote a really short chapter here. I was gonna originally include this with the next chapter in one big chapter, but like I said before, I just can't find time to do that. I figured a week of waiting was long enough. By the way I will be starting on another fic after I'm done with this one. It'll be like a sequel series to Lorien Legacies and be set about 100 or so years after the war ends. Any ideas for what should happen? Oh, and to Eclaire Stones and Mysteryfanaticno1 who responded to my little speech last time: unfortunately from what I've heard, James Frey is kind of a lunatic and a drug addict, so I don't think I'll be getting my idea to him anytime soon :/ sean: hopefully you've read what I've put on earlier author's notes. If you haven't, then go back and read it. That'll answer your questions about my pairings :) So for those of you who have been asking how to deal with Setrakus Ra and his ability to take away Legacies, this chapter's for you. I know it's not a very in-depth explanation but I'll expand on it as soon as I find more time. Also, completely rewrote the summary because...the old one was bad. So this is the same story for those of you wondering. Don't forget to review! Favorites and follows are also welcome. Also, first chapter with multiple viewpoints. It's Sarah and Six in this one. **

* * *

Chapter 23

It's been a week since John and Eight made the announcement they've talked with Pittacus. Apparently there are two Garde chosen that are worthy to be Pittacus' heir. Can't say I'm jealous of them. I'd go crazy if a 1000 year old Loric Elder with the power to go toe-to-toe with Setrakus Ra was watching my every move.

Patricia also told us that she was going to be planning an attack on our first base. I'm excited. It's not the craze that Nine gets with breathing in Mogadorian ash, but I need action. My battle skills have become even sharper and I'm eager to test them out. I'm also interested in how the humans like Sam and Sarah will play a role. And I haven't even accounted for Ella, whose telepathy is getting stronger every day, and Adamus, who could potentially topple the entire base. This is going to be fun.

"Six?" Patricia calls. I turn around. I've just finished eating and I'm about to leave the table. "I have to talk to you. Could you come with me?" I nod and I follow her. She leads me into her room where John and Eight are already seated. I take a seat at her table and she sits down.

"Alright, gang," Patricia starts. "As you all know, I'm planning our first attack as a team. That means everyone is involved. I know some of us here are already seasoned veterans, while some have yet to get blood on their hands. That's why I'm picking you three to lead this mission."

"Why me?" I question. I gesture to John and Eight. "You've got your future Pittacuses right here. What do you need me for?"

"That's a good question, Six," Patricia answers. "Obviously these two will be leading the charge. However, I need you because I know I can trust you. About a third of our team has never been in this kind of fight before. I trust you can protect them and teach them."

"So what do we do?" John asks.

"John, you'll take Nine," Patricia tells him. John groans. "I know you two don't have the best chemistry, but just bear with me. You'll do the dirty work, meaning kill every Mog who gets in your way and secure the base for the rest of us. And you'll have Bernie Kosar with you anyway."

"So do I take the rest of the Garde?" Eight pipes up.

"Yes. You'll have Ella, Lucy, and Adamus in your group and your role is to set up the base for collapse."

"Meaning, plant the charges again," Eight translates. Patricia smiles.

"Not quite," she responds. "Your first priority is to get into the control room and any other room that might be important. Get as much info as you can about the Mogs, Setrakus Ra, anything that might help us. After you've done that, weaken the foundation of the base with the tools that we have. That should set up the building to collapse from Adamus' earthquake Legacy."

"Where exactly are we going?" I inquire. Patricia grabs her laptop and plugs in the tablet. The screen comes to life with the map.

"Here," Patricia points. "It's a secluded complex near Yosemite National Park. Very minor. I don't know if Mogs have ranks, but I can assure there won't be any Commanders or Generals there."

"So what's my role?" I ask. "You've already explained John and Eight's roles. What am I supposed to do?"

"Here's why I picked you and not Nine for this," Patricia explains. "From a fighting standpoint, you're sitting this one out. I know Nine could never handle that. You'll be with Sarah, Sam, and Marina. You'll stay in the control room after the others have secured it. Malcolm and I will be in our van. I'll have Nine hack the feed and transmit it to us. After that, your only job is to keep Mogs out. Let the humans fight some, but if they get overpowered, step in. Since both the healers will be off with their groups, you'll take the healing stone."

"Great," John says sarcastically. "It's gonna be a blast."

"Remember that you are a candidate for Pittacus," Patricia reminds him. "I would think you'd try to do well on your first assignment as a group leader." John mumbles something inaudible.

"When are we attacking?" Eight asks.

"In three days," Patricia answers. "If that's it, you guys are dismissed. Any other questions?"

"Yeah," I say. "Do I get a Ducati?"

* * *

Yesterday Patricia announced we would be attacking our first base on Sunday, or tomorrow. In preparation, she's made us skip our training. We spend the entire day in Patricia's studying our plan. Patricia pounds the details into our heads until we have them memorized. Sam seems to pick it up easily and explains it to the rest of us who don't get it. In Nine's room, John is going over the plan with Nine (although not very successfully), while the rest of the Garde are in Eight and Marina's room also studying.

"So, let's see," Six says. She zooms in on the base until we can see the layout of the building. The rest of us look at the projection on the wall. "The main hallway will be there right as you enter. As you guys should remember though, we're not going in the main way. As soon as John and Nine contact me and give me the all-clear, we'll go with Eight and his group. The garage in the side should unlock and get us through without being noticed."

Sam looks bored. Being the natural geek that he is, this is probably just like picking up a strategy video game. After about 10 times of reviewing, I think I have most of it down. I take a glance out the window. It's late afternoon. We leave tomorrow at 2 and if what Patricia says is correct, it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. _If nothing goes wrong,_ I remind myself with a shiver.

The session finally ends and we go our separate ways. I go upstairs with Sam and get some training in. Patricia calls us down for dinner and we sit. Dinner goes without incident until the end. Malcolm stands up.

"Hey guys, I've got some news for you," Malcolm announces. We turn and look at him. "Remember the red dart that Ella threw at Setrakus Ra?" We nod. "Well, I've been doing some research with Ella and Adamus on it. I hacked into the Mogadorian servers and found what it is. It turns out the red dart is made of a mineral only found on Mogadore. It's called Rodagium and it hinders the Legacies of Loric Garde. They mine it on Mogadore. My theory is that's why they were able to take over Lorien so easily. Not because of the surprise, although that was a factor. All you have to do is bring the Rodagium to gain a huge advantage."

"So why didn't it affect Ella when she threw it?" Eight asks.

"Here's the thing. The Rodagium only works when it's inside your body," Malcolm explains. "That's maybe why Setrakus Ra had those in the first place. He probably planned to use them against you."

"I don't see why he would need them," Nine snorts. "He can take away our Legacies without using the darts."

"That's why they're so important," Malcolm replies. "Setrakus Ra can disable your Legacies, but he can't prevent any type of physical attack. I'm fairly certain he has telekinesis, but if you take him by surprise, he won't be able to do anything about it."

"Yeah, well Ella threw the dart and Setrakus Ra still whipped Nine's ass last time," John jokes. Nine glares at him and there's some awkward laughter. I think some of Nine is rubbing off on John.

"He still has physical strength," Malcolm says, ignoring John. "And since he is the leader of the Mogadorians, he's bound to have some extra powers."

"Is he an Elder?" I ask the question everyone's been wondering. "I mean, he's different from all the other Mogadorians. He doesn't just take a gun and blast you."

"That would be a question for Pittacus," Patricia says quietly. She looks at John and Eight meaningfully. "The next time Pittacus contacts you again, it would be smart to ask that." John and Eight nod.

"I'm tired," Six yawns. "And we've got a big day tomorrow. I don't know about you guys, but I'm hitting the deck. See ya." Before anyone can say anything, she leaves the table. Everyone follows suit and leaves.

I'm laying in bed with John. I'm leaning against him, thinking about tomorrow.

"Everything ok?" John asks. I nod.

"So you're Pittacus then," I say.

"Well, only if he decides I will be," John says with a chuckle.

"So I'm not only dating an alien, I'm dating what could potentially be the ruler of an alien race," I conclude.

"That's one way to put it," John agrees.

"You ready for tomorrow?" I ask.

"Tomorrow's gonna be pretty easy. It's nothing compared to what we did in New Mexico. Hopefully we can get going on the war. You know, take those trips like we used to around the US."

"I wouldn't know. I was in Paradise while you guys were off on the other side of the world."

"Until I came back," John says thoughtfully. I cringe. I don't want to think about what happened when John came back. I push the thought out of my mind.

"You think we'll be able to visit Paradise again?" I say instead.

"Eventually," John says. "I mean, I've looked at the map. There are bases in Athens, Columbus, and Cleveland. We'll have to stop by sooner or later."

"I wonder what the FBI told my parents," I say. "They're probably worried sick about me."

"They might've said something like you were helping terrorists," John thinks aloud.

"I'll have to explain everything to them now," I say with a sigh.

"I'm sure they'll listen to you," John says with a smile. "Get some sleep. It's your first fight tomorrow."

"I guess I should," I say and turn over. John turns the light off and darkness engulfs me.


	24. Chapter 24: Getting Your Feet Wet

**Hey, guys. How's everything been? I got Chapter 24 written. It wasn't easy because my neighbor Mr. Popular was throwing a party with 50 people...but I did get it done and it's not too bad. I'll get to what's happening in a moment, but first I wanna thank you guys:**

**100 REVIEWS! Thanks so much! You guys have honestly been the best. I had no idea it would grow to be this big. Congrats to Mysteryfanaticno1 who was the lucky 100th reviewer :) But I owe a big thanks to everyone else who reviewed too. I know my story is not the best one out there so I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read it and review. My thanks go to I wish I could be Number Five (for some reason the periods don't show up right), the real number five, Eclaire Stones, Venus5-Gryffindor, and Trebol2 for their continued support of this story and me. As a special, I promise I'll get the next chapter uploaded on Sunday, or if worst case scenario, Monday morning (US time). Keep on reviewing! **

**So, we finally have the Garde's first attack. It doesn't go quite as smooth as expected. Multiple viewpoints, mostly Six and a new one: Lucy aka Five. Read on to find out what happens!**

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Chapter 24

It's the big day and everyone's buzzing with nervous energy. Well, almost everyone. Some of the more experienced Garde like me don't really think it's that big of a deal. A year ago I might have. I think back to a year ago. I was still living in the Keys, unaware of the things happening around me. Those were my last days in Florida before I moved to Paradise, the town that would change my life forever.

I train for a little bit, not wanting to wear myself out. I go over the plan with Nine one last time and meet up with the others. Patricia makes a light lunch and reviews our roles. Then we load the brand new van that she bought, and we're off.

The atmosphere in the van is tense. No one says much and we all know what's on each other's minds. Patricia announces it'll take about two hours to get there. Once we near it, we'll ditch the van and walk the rest of the way. We can't afford blowing our cover before we're even started.

The roads and buildings turn to trails and forests. We enter Yosemite and drive towards the base. Patricia says it's only about another half hour until we get there. My legs start twitching. I'm anxious to fight. I haven't been in a real one in months.

"Okay, guys," Patricia tells us. "We're about 15 minutes away from the base. At this point I can't get any closer without blowing it. This is actually unauthorized territory. I'll park the van in the woods and you guys go on ahead. Malcolm and I will stay in the van and see if anything interesting shows up on our monitors. Everyone has their headsets?" We nod. "Good. Well, good luck!"

"Stick to the woods," Eight advises as we pile out of the van. "We don't want to attract suspicion. No doubt the park is probably under surveillance." I privately kick myself for not saying that first. I wonder if Pittacus has a leadership points system or something.

As planned, Nine and I go on first. BK turns into an insect and hops in my pocket. Without exchanging words, we jump across branches and sprint through the dirt. We make it there in about four minutes.

"Remember we're not going through the main door, Johnny," Nine whispers.

"I knew that," I grumble. We examine the building. It says "Park Security Office" on it and it has a garage and some windows. We walk around to the back, looking for the side entrance. Nine finds it and tries the handle. It's locked. He rears back and I cry out for him to stop, but it's too late. A vicious kick blows the door open.

"We're supposed to be stealthy!" I hiss. The clattering of the broken door has probably attracted attention.

"Johnny, this place is going up in flames anyway," Nine shrugs. "Who cares?" I shake my head. For one, the building is not going up in flames, Adamus is going to bring it down to the ground. And two, we don't want the Mogs to alert others that they're under attack. Luckily some alarm didn't sound when the door broke down.

"You got the Xlitharis?" Nine whispers. I pull it out of my pocket. "Good." Nine and I each take a side of the rock and become invisible. Just as we do so, a lone Mog runs down the hallway to see what happened. He walks outside and sees the broken door, looks around, and quickly sprints back. I step out and trip him. Then I pull out my dagger and slash his throat. He gurgles and dissolves into ash.

"That's how you be stealthy," I tell Nine.

"Yeah, whatever," Nine whispers back. We slowly make our way across the base. We take a left to the hallway that leads to the control room. There we see a group of Mog guards blocking the way, joking around but still alert.

"What do we do now?" I ask Nine.

"Take 'em out," Nine replies and I hear knuckles cracking. The Mogs stop and turn to us. They don't see anyone and one of them shrugs. They go back to their duty. I hear Nine stifling laughter.

"That's not funny!" I hiss. "And you're crazy if you want to take out the guards this close to the control room. That's just inviting the Mogs to call for reinforcements."

"Take it easy, Johnny," Nine whispers. "What's your brilliant idea, then?" I think for a moment. _Use your Legacies, John, _BK says in my head. I think for a moment. Then I get an idea.

"Nine, I need you to go along with what I'm about to do," I say.

"Sure, whatever," Nine says. Always so cooperative. I go on with my plan. The Mogs are in a circle and laughing. I shine my Lumen on the side of the wall so that only the Mog who's facing us can see it. He immediately stops and stares at it. Then he turns to his partner and nudges him. I turn the light off and his partner squints. He says something in Mogadorian and slaps him.

I shine the light again and the Mog sees it again. This time he's hopping up and down and pointing to it. Everyone stops and stares at him. I turn the light off just as they look. Some of them laugh and others shove him against the wall. He growls and stares at where we're standing. Then I shine the light on him.

The Mog yelps as he stares at the light. This time all the Mogs notice it. They point at it and look at the source, which would be us. They scratch their heads and I snicker. You ever need a source of comedy, watch how Mogs act. The biggest Mog decides to act and runs at me. I swear under my breath and snatch the Xlitharis from Nine. He protests as he becomes visible, but none of the Mogs notice him as they're too busy chasing the light.

I run down the hallway, waving the light wildly. The Mogs sprint after it and I turn the corner. I lead them on a wild chase until I find the front door. I push open and the Mogs follow me out. I'm still shining the light, but into the trees now. I step aside and let all of the Mogs through, and then I close the door behind them. I hear muffled voices and banging on the door. Now I make my way back to the control room.

Nine is on the ground when I return. I rush over to him, thinking he's hurt, but then I turn him over and he's laughing.

"Johnny, that was one of the best pranks I've seen in a long time," he says, choking because he's laughing so much. I raise an eyebrow.

"Considering where we are, I don't think you should be on the ground cracking up," I say sarcastically.

"Hey, it's not like I laughed out loud. I laughed so hard it was silent," Nine chuckles. I sigh and he grabs onto the Xlitharis again. We make our way into the control room where Mog technicians are monitoring the park and the base. One of them points at the feed that shows the Mogs running. Luckily Nine's back is turned so he can't distinguish if he's a Mog or not. One of the other technicians shrugs and goes back to his work. If we were visible, they would see my jaw dropping. How do they not care that a group of Mogs just ran outside and didn't return?

"You have the drive, right?" I whisper to Nine.

"Yeah, I'm trying to find where to put it in," Nine whispers back. I go along with him as he searches the computers and keyboards. Finally he finds it. "Aha," he whispers. He plugs the drive in and waits for it to work. After a few minutes, he checks the cameras. Every one is now broadcasting either an empty room or hallway or the same Mogs. "It worked," Nine announces softly. "All the cameras are now sending loops of the last three minutes. The alarms also should be disabled now."

"Yeah, but a group of Mogs ran out in the last three minutes and it'll show that," I protest as we slowly inch out of the control room. Then I see my hand fizzle back between visibility and invisibility. "Just in time, though. The Xlitharis is almost out. And from what I'm hearing, they've had some trouble outside with the Mogs."

"Johnny, in three minutes those technicians will be dead anyway," Nine says. He lets go of the Xlitharis and I put it back in my pocket. Nine turns on his mike that's attached to his neck. "Houston, you are go for launch. T-minus 10, 9, 8…"

* * *

Our group has combined with Eight's just to get to the entrance. We wait behind trees for the all-clear. About 45 minutes later, we see a group of Mogs burst out the door. I sink deeper into the brush. The door slams behind them and they look confused. Then they attack the door and bang on it. I turn on my mike.

"Eight, what do we do?" I whisper.

"I don't know," he responds as the earpiece buzzes. "Wait and see what they'll do. It's probably John or Nine that locked them out."

"Should we take them out?" I ask.

"You don't know if John and Nine have taken out the cameras yet," comes the reply. "But if they're threatening us or the mission, go ahead. You're the only one that can go invisible so it won't attract attention."

The solid metal door holds against the Mogs. They grunt and still can't make it budge. One of them suddenly yells and they turn to him. He pulls out a Mog gun. Shit, this isn't good.

"Would now be a good time to take them out?" I ask desperately.

"Yes! Do it!" Eight says frantically. I go invisible and knock the Mog over just as he's about to blast the door open. I pull out a gun and shoot him and he turns to ash. The other Mogs don't stand a chance. I'm invisible and the better fighter.

"Now what?" Sarah asks. She's turned her mike on. Everyone can listen to the frequency, but you can only talk if you turn your mike on.

"I suppose we wait for the clear," I say. I go back into my hiding spot in the woods. Five minutes later it comes. I hear Nine's voice clear in my ear.

"Houston, you are go for launch," he chatters into the mike. He starts some countdown.

"So is that a clear?" Eight asks.

"Guess so," I answer. "Everyone out." Slowly, everyone begins coming out of their hiding spot. We regroup at the front of the door.

"So we basically killed a group of Mogs that were gonna bust down the door so we could bust it down ourselves," Eight observes.

"That's one way to put it," I agree. "Does everyone remember what they're doing?" Nods from the group. "Okay. It's showtime."

Lucy hands me a Mog cannon and I shoot the door down. We quickly move into the base.

"Hurry! Let's go!" Eight yells. We run as a pack, going through hallways and mowing down Mogs.

"Where's the control room?" Marina shouts.

"We're getting close!" I yell back. "Up there!" Sure enough, we see a room at the end of a long corridor. John and Nine are at the end, fighting Mogs.

With our help, they get rid of the guards fast. We go inside the control room, where there are piles of ash on the chairs. Must be the technicians.

"We all know what to do, right?" Eight asks.

"Me and Johnny are gonna go blow up some more Mogs!" Nine exclaims. He looks like a little kid in a toy store. John groans.

"Ella, Lucy, and Adamus, come with me," Eight continues, ignoring Nine. "You brought the tools?" Lucy holds them up. "Perfect. We'll wait for the clear from you guys before we blow this place," he says, gesturing to me.

"Sarah, Marina, and Sam, stay here," I order. They nod. "Alright, well you guys can go off and have your merry fun," I say. Nine and John leave without another word. Eight nods and takes his group. I turn to my bunch.

"So we're gonna have fun, right guys?" I say cheerfully. Marina laughs but Sarah and Sam are nervous.

"So, what are we supposed to do again?" Sarah asks tentatively. I pick up a Mog cannon and hand it to her.

"Turn anyone or anything to ash that isn't our ally," I tell her. "Should be simple enough." Sarah gulps but tries to look confident. She takes up position near the door.

"Marina, guard the door with Sarah," I continue. Marina nods. I toss her a gun and she stands next to Sarah.

"Does this mean I get to sit out?" Sam says hopefully. I chuckle.

"Well, you won't have to fight," I begin. Sam looks relieved. I make a mental note to give the humans a lesson in confidence once this is over. "But you are going to have to help me with these computers."

"That's the job for me," Sam says. We go over to the computers and screens.

"You have all the equipment, right?" I ask. Sam nods and pulls out some tech from his bag. I turn my mike on. "Patricia, we're secure in the control room."

"Good," she replies. "Malcolm and I have no idea what's going on, other than listening to the conversations. Hook us up to the cameras first." I motion to Sam and he pulls out a flash drive. He quickly finds the computer that controls the camera. The drive deletes the loop and starts sending the feed.

"Perfect," Patricia says. "We can see everything on my laptop screen. Looks like there's not much use for this base."

"We could still find some information though," Malcolm interrupts. "Sam, do what I told you to." Sam nods and pulls out another drive. Then I hear a scream and we spin around. Sarah's coated in Mog ash and Marina's helping her pat some of it off.

"What happened?" I demand.

"Nothing," Marina says. "One of the Mogs got a little close to Sarah, but I shot it." I roll my eyes and turn back to the screen. A little bit harsh, but we're on a mission. We can't afford to have any distractions.

* * *

Eight, Ella, Adamus, and I run through the hallways. We kill Mogs that get in our way and explore the place. After a while Eight stops running and I stop behind him. We let Ella and Adamus catch up.

"Okay, I think I have a pretty good idea of this place," Eight tells us.

"Isn't that why we have a map?" I remark.

"Not the layout," Eight replies. "I already knew that. I was looking for weak spots in the structure. I think what we'll do now is split up and work on a section of the base."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Adamus states.

"Why not?" I question. "I mean, I know you're not exactly a Garde, but you have training. You can defend yourself and we can give you a weapon."

"And you're a Mog," Eight adds. Adamus stares at him. "I mean, they'll take you for granted. They don't think you're helping us," he amends.

"Sounds like a plan," I conclude. "Let's do it."

"Probably not yet!" Ella exclaims. We turn around to see what she's talking about and I narrowly dodge a laser. The Mogs are upon us.

"Teleportation time?" I ask Eight.

"Let's do it," he says. I smile and we teleport into action. I come up behind the Mogs and wash them back with a giant wave. Eight teleports and catches Ella and Adamus before it hits them. Some of the Mogs try to get up but Ella and Adamus take care of them with their guns.

I freeze the wave and smash it, littering the floor with chunks of ice. I sense something behind me and lash out with a fist. The Mog falls to the ground, his nose bloodied. It turns to ash and he looks like Voldemort. I might have laughed if we weren't in the heat of battle. More Mogs march down the hallway.

* * *

Sam's almost done hacking the files. The little drive beeps and whirs as it burrows its way into secret Mog files. The screen reads 88%. I yawn.

"Find anything interesting yet?" I say into my mike.

"Just more of the stuff I already found when I was hacking," Malcolm replies. "Oh, wait, look at that…mm-hmm…that's interesting…"

"What?" I ask.

"We've got a diagram for something here," Patricia tells me. "It looks like some kind of portal. It's on top of a building and Mogadorians, or at least I think they're Mogadorians, are streaming out of it."

"What do you think it means?" Sam asks.

"We can try to figure it out later," Malcolm says. "How much of the stuff is downloaded?"

"94%," I say. "About two minutes left."

"What is this?" Patricia asks. I assume she and Malcolm are looking at something.

"What is it?" I ask. I'm a bit frustrated at not being able to see what's _so _exciting.

"There's a diagram of a human body and Mogadorian body," Malcolm explains. "Various arrows are pointing to different parts. It looks like it's a representation of what they're trying to achieve with an experiment."

"So basically you're saying they're experimenting on Mogs?" I ask.

"Not exactly. I think they might be trying to do something to humans," Malcolm says gravely. "I've got some firsthand experience with that, being a prisoner for so many years."

"What do you think they're trying to do?" Sam wonders.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't look good," Malcolm says.

I hear a ping from the computer. I look at it and it says DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. Sam pulls the drive from the slot and puts it back in his bag.

"I see everything's downloaded then," Patricia remarks. "You guys remember what the next step is?"

"Wait, there's a next step?" I ask, confused. I swear I hear a hand hitting a face on the other end (**A/N: aka facepalm**). Then I hear a sigh. Malcolm takes over from Patricia.

"From studying the map and the bases, it looks like each base is connected to the map through the computers," Malcolm explains. Outside, we hear some screams and coughing. "As long as the computer is up and running, it should transmit a constant signal to wherever the signal is being picked up. You know that if we destroy this place, the Mogs will take notice and get on our tails. That's why I've been working on a transmitter that broadcasts the same type of signal. That's not it, though. I've been listening to audio on Patricia's laptop. It seems that every week or so they have some type of check in. The Mogs are supposed to report that everything is fine and working. We need to recreate that too."

"My head is starting to hurt," I complain. "Why don't you explain to Sam what we're supposed to do? I bet he'll understand it."

"Okay. Sam, do you have the implants that I gave you?"

"Right here," Sam says, pulling them out of his bag. They're little black disks with a red screen in the middle.

"Alright, good," Malcolm continues. "These implants are pretty important. Once the base collapses, put those implants among the rubble. They'll transmit a constant signal that'll keep the base on the map. The other one contains a fake audio recording of a Mog report. That'll take care of their weekly report.

"Won't they find out eventually?" I object.

"It was never meant to be permanent," Malcolm says. "Hopefully since this is a small base it'll take longer to find out. We won't be staying here much longer anyway."

"Wait, what do you mean we won't be staying here much longer?" I ask suspiciously.

"That might be a question for Patricia to answer," Malcolm says awkwardly. Whatever. I'll find out eventually.

"So does this mean we can clear Eight to destroy the place?" I ask.

"I suppose," Patricia says, noncommittal.

"So that's a yes?" Sam asks. I shake my head. Sam might be clever when it comes to aliens and tech, but he's got no clue around people.

"Yes, it is," I reply. "Number Eight, you are clear for destruction," I say into the mike. "Let us know when you're about to blow so we don't get caught in the way."

"Six?!" a voice answers. I recognize it as Lucy's. "If you guys are done, then we would really appreciate some help here!"

* * *

"If you guys are done, then we would really appreciate some help here!" I yell into the mike. I never knew so many Mogs could fit into such a small building. More just keep streaming out. There must be a basement or something. Adamus and Ella are backed up against a corner, firing their weapons like mad. Eight has turned into Vishnu and sweeps Mogs, but more just come. I teleport around and make waves and freeze Mogs.

To make it even worse, they've released their animals. Packs of kraul charge and I make a wave to send them back. I freeze the water and smash the ice with my mind. I don't even know where John and Nine are. Hopefully Six and their squad will come now that I've told them.

I hear a "help!". I turn around and see a huge piken cornering Adamus and Ella. A Mog laser singes my hair. Jeez, those guys have bad aim. I blast them telekinetically and turn back.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" I yell. It's about 30 feet to Ella and Adamus. The piken is advancing. It growls, sensing meat. I can't send a wave at it because it'll hit Ella and Adamus too. I try telekinesis and I lift it off the ground. I'm about to throw it when I get hit in the back with a Mog laser. I cry out and fall to the ground.

* * *

I gather up Sam, Sarah, and Marina and head out. I wondered why there was a lack of Mogs attacking. Now I see why. Every last one is out in the halls, fighting Lucy and Eight. Eight's in one of his other Vishnu forms, some giant lion-man. Where's Lucy though?

"Follow me!" I shout back. Sam, Marina, and Sarah trail behind me as I turn the corner. My stomach drops. Lucy's laying on the ground, surrounded by Mogs. A piken's in front of them, advancing on Adamus and Ella in the corner. I take action and fire off some quick shots. The Mogs turn towards me and start firing. Behind me, Sam and Sarah start returning fire while Marina deflects lasers away from me.

There are at least 30 Mogs. I quickly see the situation is hopeless. Even if I get through the Mogs in time, the piken will already be on Adamus and Lucy. It's only about 10 feet away now. It rears back its ugly head and prepares to take a bite. I go invisible and get through the Mogs.

Adamus hears the dreaded click that means he's out of ammo. Is this some sort of mutation? He's emptied every bullet into the piken. It seems to have temporarily put it in pain, but now it's trying to attack. Just as I'm about to reach them, a lucky Mog juts out his weapon and hits me in the side. I grunt and lose focus, becoming visible. The Mog roars in victory and its friends surround me.

The piken strikes. The head snaps down on Ella and Adamus.

"Noooo!" I scream. I can only watch helplessly as the piken begins to bite. It seems to have trouble clamping down. I blast some Mogs out of the way and get a better look. It almost seems like something is…struggling inside the mouth. The few remaining Mogs advance on me but Sam and Sarah interrupt their march and they turn to ash. Then I hear the piken roar in pain.

I spin around, shocked. The piken roars and Ella and Adamus are…alive. But how? They wouldn't have the strength to keep a piken jaw from closing. Then I see it. Ella's keeping the piken's mouth open. With telekinesis.

"Ella, you did it!" I scream in joy. Ella's face is grim with determination as she uses her newfound Legacy. She's sweating and pushing, but she's winning. The piken tries to charge her, but she holds it back. In the end, something has to give. The piken falls backwards at us. I jump out of the way as it crashes onto the floor. Sam quickly kills it with a burst from his gun, and it's over.

There seem to be no Mogs left in the building. Eight goes around and weakens up the foundation. We contact John and Nine and they meet us.

"So where were you when we needed you?" I ask sternly.

"I could ask the same about you," John answers. "You should have seen how many piken and kraul we had to kill. It was ridiculous."

"Wait…so there were more of them?" Ella asks nervously. I have yet to tell John and Nine about Ella developing telekinesis. Nine nods.

"Yep," he says. "Me and Johnny found a whole pen of them down in the basement." I nod, processing this. In the future we have to make sure we don't underestimate any more Mog bases.

"Patricia, are you picking this up?" Eight says into the mike.

"Loud and clear," comes the reply. "Looks like I understated the defense of Mog bases. I'll try not to have that happen next time."

"So are we all done, then?" Sarah asks.

"I guess so," Eight shrugs. He looks at Adamus. "You ready to blow this place?"

"Whenever you're ready," Adamus answers.

"Okay, then. Everyone, get out. I'm going to stay with Adamus until he unleashes the earthquake. I've weakened the base of this building enough so it should collapse. The rest of you can wait outside and I'll teleport outside with Adamus once we're all through."

No one argues. We all get out and stand about 200 feet away from the base. A minute later, the roof starts caving in. The whole structure starts collapsing on itself. We see a flash of light and Eight appears with Adamus. We watch as the natural forces of gravity make it so that there's one less Mog base in the world. Eight and John round us up and we head back to the van, exhausted but satisfied.

* * *

**More Loric history coming next chapter. Stay tuned!**


	25. Chapter 25: The Legacy of Setrakus Ra

**Hey guys. Upload is a little late, but I was pretty busy this weekend. Still managed to type it all this morning though. Have you guys been keeping up with the Fall of Five passages? I read the Sarah one. It's pretty good, but it ends with her getting a dagger stabbed into her shoulder :( So anyway, as promised, here is the next chapter. John and Eight meet with Pittacus again and they learn a thing or two. I'll try to get the next chapter up Thursday or Friday since school gets out on Wednesday. Don't forget to review!**

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Chapter 25

The van is loud on the way back. Everyone's telling each other about their experiences and congratulating Ella on developing telekinesis. I listen to Lucy and Sarah tell their stories. We stop for dinner on the way back and Patricia switches the driving role with Nine.

We get back to San Francisco and Patricia stops us before we get inside.

"Nice job today, guys," she compliments. "Not everything went well, but we managed it. I'm going to be planning a trip soon. We'll destroy all of the bases that are left in California. We'll leave in about a week, so be prepared. Pack your stuff and train hard."

"Are we gonna eventually destroy every base?" Eight asks.

"That's the idea," Patricia says evenly. "Obviously, it's a huge task. I think if we can take out enough of the bases to cripple the Mogadorians, and then launch a final attack on wherever their headquarters are, we can win." Patricia steps aside and lets us through.

"So how'd you do today?" I ask Sarah.

"I did okay," she says. "It's a lot scarier than I thought it would be."

"You get any ash on your clothes?"

"Some. I freaked out the first time. You should have seen me," she says, then laughs quietly.

"Remember your training."

"I did."

"This is just your first time. You'll get better at it. You're a warrior." I smile and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She yawns.

"Goodnight, John," she says.

"Goodnight."

I'm in the weird dimension with shades of blue. _Here we go again, _I think. Eight's a little bit closer this time and I run up to him.

"So what do you think he's gonna do this time?" I ask. Eight shrugs.

"I don't know," he says. "We'll have to see." The void opens again. I step back, but I don't fear what's coming this time. Pittacus steps through and looks down at us.

"Hello," he greets. We return the greeting. "I trust everything has been fine since our last meeting?" We nod. "Very good. Let's begin. I have much to teach you tonight."

"Hang on first," I say to him. "I have a question."

"Yes?" Pittacus raises an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Is…is Setrakus Ra a Loric Elder?" I ask. Pittacus hesitates a moment.

"Yes, he is," Pittacus says finally. "That is a long tale to tell, but I was going to teach you that today anyway."

"Don't let us stop you," I say. "Go ahead."

"Wait," Eight stops. We look at him. "I've got a question too. For the past few months my Legacies have felt stronger. I can do things I wasn't able to do before. Are you…giving us power or something?"

"I am," Pittacus confirms. "I have allowed you to channel my power for the last three months. This is why you can teleport around the world, and Four can become aflame without using his Lumen."

"I thought there was something wrong when I could teleport from New Mexico to Indiana," Eight mutters. "But go on."

"Shall we start from the beginning?" Pittacus says. We nod and sit down next to him. He takes a deep breath and begins.

"There are two Garde chosen to be the leader of the Elders," Pittacus begins. "That is how it has always been. The Garde who is not chosen to become Pittacus Lore becomes the Elder known as Setrakus Ra."

I listen intently. Maybe we can find something to exploit in Setrakus Ra.

"The soul of the first Pittacus Lore will always live," Pittacus continues. "Each Garde that represents him has a name, but takes the title Pittacus Lore to preserve him. The soul of the original Pittacus Lore will always stay in the next Garde to become Pittacus."

"So that means…one of us will have Pittacus' soul?" Eight asks nervously.

"You will hear the voices of all that have come before you," Pittacus explains. "Pittacus himself will guide you through it. It is unnerving at first, but you will settle into it."

"So I'm assuming Setrakus Ra is a Loric Elder title too?" I ask.

"Yes, but do not think he was always corrupt. The first Setrakus Ra was a fierce warrior and second to only Pittacus."

"So what happened?" Eight questions.

"I will answer that. 500 years ago, we were ordinary Garde just like you are now. When it was time, another Garde and I were chosen for Pittacus. There was no Lorien Defense Academy like there is now. We were put to a test. Whoever Pittacus determined was worthy and demonstrated knowledge and bravery was chosen."

"Our test required us to go to the planet Mogadore. We traveled alone to the barren planet. The local people recognized us but did not do anything to us. The people of Mogadore had a problem. They could not live in harmony with the wild beasts that roamed the planet. We needed to tame the animals and make a world where they could live in peace with each other. The Elders instructed us to go about our ways alone. I decided to bring the Mogadorians to the animals and show them that they could coexist."

"The animals were the kraul and piken, weren't they?" I ask. Pittacus nods.

"I went into a Mogadorian city and attempted to convince the Mogadorians to come with me. Most refused, however there were about five that joined me. I took them into the heart of the wild, where caves were abundant and beasts roamed free. The Mogadorians were afraid, but they attempted to be brave. I attracted some beasts and they attacked. I stopped them with my Legacies. I slowly taught the Mogadorians how to control the beasts, how to coexist and accept them. They became amazed and told others in their city. Soon the news spread and cities were using my technique."

"So what about Setrakus Ra?" Eight wonders.

"Remember he was not known as Setrakus Ra then," Pittacus explains. "His technique was to enslave the beasts so they could not attack anymore. He tortured them and captured them. The Mogadorians did not want control of the beasts, so they rejected him."

"We arrived back on Lorien. The Elders watched and made their decision. I was chosen to become Pittacus. The other Garde was furious. He thought he had the better method and demanded another chance. The Elders denied him and he became Setrakus Ra. They heaped insults and condemned him for his poor decision. After his humiliation, he disappeared for about 50 years."

"So he just…vanished? What about his duty as an Elder?" I ask.

"The Elders' power was not needed in that time. Lorien was in a time of peace and prosperity. And it would continue to be so for another 50 years. However, Setrakus Ra came back. He had been training in secret and experimenting with dark magic. He attempted an attack on all of Lorien. The remaining eight Elders and I immediately came to the defense of the planet. We overpowered him and banished him to Mogadore for the rest of his life."

"Lorien prospered. Advances in technology and medicine kept the planet running and all was well. But I started to have visions. Ships attacking the planet, every Loric being slaughtered. I was worried. So I made plans in advance. I took 200 of the bravest Cepan and brought them here to Earth." I perk up at this. Not all of the Loric are dead? "They are all hidden together in a supposed refugee camp. I do not know what has happened to them. The war is a bigger priority."

"What happened to Setrakus Ra?" Eight asks. "And the other Elders?"

"Do you remember your Cepan telling you that a pillar of white light was spotted a few weeks before the attack?" Pittacus asks. We nod. "It was my power. I was the last Elder standing. Setrakus Ra had trained again and become even more powerful. He found each of the Elders and killed them in secret, except Loridas, who managed to escape. He corrupted the Mogadorians. They were a primitive but nonviolent species. He changed all of that. He painted the Loric as enemies, as people who were too powerful and who needed to fall. He erased the harmony I had created with the beasts and Mogadorians. He finished his mission, enslaving them and using them as war tools. He hunted me down last. I teleported across space to Mogadore to face him. We engaged in a duel. Before, I could always defeat him. Now we were equals. His skill and rage combined overwhelmed me. I was mortally wounded. I teleported to Earth and hid here, biding my time until I can avenge Lorien."

"I hid on Earth. A year later, I watched as the ship carrying you and your brothers and sisters arrived. I watched as you parted ways and each grew up through hardships. I realized I was not destined to defeat Setrakus Ra. The destiny belongs to you."

Pittacus finishes and silently gazes out into the distance. I look over at Eight and he's deep in thought. I think about it too. It's almost too much to digest.

"Whichever one of you does not become Pittacus will take on an even greater role than him," Pittacus says suddenly. "You will be tasked with clearing the legacy of Setrakus Ra and restoring him as an Elder."

"How will we have 10 Elders?" I ask. "One, Two, and Three are already dead. That leaves three open spots."

"That is a very difficult question," Pittacus addresses. "I have contemplated it for 10 years and still not come up with a solution. But that is secondary to winning the war."

"Thank you, Pittacus Lore," Eight says. "We've learned a lot from you."

"It is my pleasure," Pittacus says. "I have not made my decision yet. In the meantime, you two should focus on leading the Garde and taking down the Mogadorians slowly. I will meet you again next time. Remember what I have told you today. Perhaps you will one day use it."

I feel the familiar tugging sensation. Pittacus Lore steps back into the void and disappears. The dimension starts spinning again and I close my eyes. I reopen them and arrive back in San Francisco. I get dressed and meet Eight. We don't exchange words. We both know what happened. We get up to Patricia's room and tell her.

"That's interesting," she says once we're finished. "It certainly explains a lot of things about the Mogs. I'll have you guys tell everyone this morning. Then go train and I'll brief you on our mission in a few days."

"Thanks," I say. We get in the elevator. "So what do you think?" I ask Eight.

"It was telling," he says. "A lot of it makes sense. Garde doesn't get Pittacus, gets angry, destroys planet." I chuckle at this.

"Do you think you're Pittacus?" he asks suddenly. I look at him.

"Well, I guess so," I say. "I really think I am." Eight nods.

"I think I'm Pittacus too," he says. "But I promised to myself I won't be like Setrakus Ra. If he doesn't choose me, I'll step down peacefully and just accept my role." I nod in agreement. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to take not being Pittacus, but Eight's right. We can't be like the Setrakus Ra before us was.

"Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it," Eight quotes. As we walk out onto the beach, I think about it.

_Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it._


	26. Chapter 26: And We're Rollin'

**Hey guys! Sorry for the late upload. I know it's been almost two weeks now. The beginning of my summer has been crazy. I'll be gone all next week and won't get back until Friday, so sorry to make you guys wait. Although the place where I'm going does have computers, so I might bring this along in a flash drive and work on it there. So to start off, I'll answer some reviews. guest: Great! Glad you enjoy it! congoalien009: I recognize that too. The problem is I have to get the characters with almost no dialogue (ex. Adamus, Malcolm) some roles so the characters you mentioned kind of get neglected. I'm working on it though. Opticflammingo: the passages are on the fan site for I Am Number Four. The web address is .com. You can find the passages and a lot of other cool stuff there. setrakusra999kill: (spoiler not really) I'm not gonna resurrect Two and Three. What I have in mind is something so crazy it's probably illegal. I'm not gonna tell you now, you'll just have to wait and find out ;) lorien fan: Don't worry, I'm not gonna make it 70 chapters or something. I'll group a lot of the attacks in just one paragraph saying they've attacked these bases. So here's chapter 26. Another attack on a base. More action, from Sarah, Nine, Marina, and Eight POVs. Hope you like it! Thanks for the reviews!**

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Chapter 26

"Ay yo! Where'd my Beats go?"

"Don't ask me! You're the one that's always throwing your stuff around!"

"Those are like, 300 dollars! I just got them two weeks ago!"

"So? We have millions of dollars! Buy another pair!"

"You don't get it! Those are LIMITED EDITION!"

I groan and open my eyes. I slip out of bed and stumble into the suitcase that John and I share. I peek out of the door. Nine and Six are arguing. I shake my head and get dressed.

We're gearing up for a little trip. We won't be back in San Francisco until about three weeks later. Patricia planned a route around the state that lets us take out all the bases in California. There are some major ones but most are pretty small. At least, that's what she told us.

We're leaving in an hour and plan to travel to Sacramento first. Patricia says there's a minor base stationed in the city. It's a lot harder assignment than our first one. We have to shut down the base without blowing it up. She says every Mog has to be killed and the base left standing.

We pile into the van. John and I are with Lucy and Nine, squished uncomfortably in the back with the luggage. I lean my head back and wince as I accidentally bang my head against a suitcase.

"Watch your head," John chuckles.

"You don't have to tell me that," I grumble.

Time passes in the van. Ella practices her telekinesis on small objects. I play cards with Lucy, Nine, and John. It's a two hour drive to Sacramento. Nine won't stop flirting with Lucy. I groan. Now I see why everyone was sick of John and me.

We finally arrive in Sacramento. Patricia drives to the building. It's a base disguised as a business building, with multiple floors. Patricia drives into a nearby parking lot and stops.

"This is the closest we'll be able to get," Patricia explains. "We all remember what to do, right?" Everyone nods.

"Good. Let's hurry up, I wanna make sure we check into our hotel in Chico on time tonight."

As planned, Six and Nine go ahead while the rest of us stay behind. We watch as Six takes Nine's hand and they become invisible. I go over my role quickly in my mind. Second rodeo. Hopefully it'll go a little bit better this time.

* * *

"Your hand is really soft and smooth."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Okay, I'm sorry." I almost put my hands up in innocence until I remember I have to hold on to Six's hand. I grin inwardly. What can I say? Old habits die hard. Lucy shouldn't worry though. I'm working on it.

We wait for a break in the automatic doors. Two Mogs go in and the automatic doors open. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the camera swivel towards them.

"Now," Six whispers. We silently enter behind the Mogs. I take a look around. The building's almost too straightforward. A lobby with couches and plants, a fountain, and reception desk. The receptionist even looks human. I wonder how much the Mogs paid her to do this. We enter in the elevator behind the Mogs.

The Mogs get off on the wrong floor. We're gonna have to wait until some Mogs get onto the right floor. There's a camera in the elevator so we can't press it ourselves. Just then, the door opens and a horde of Mogs stroll in. I curse silently and pull Six into the corner. There's just enough space if she leans on me. One of the Mogs walks into the corner and she has to press herself against me. I grin, and then think about Lucy and quickly push the thought out of my mind.

After about five minutes of the elevator, some Mogs finally get off on the right floor. Six and I sneak out with them. We turn and find the camera room. It's behind a door marked PERSONNEL ONLY in the middle of the hall. A Mog technician walks out and we sneak in before the door slams shut.

"So what now?" I ask. "Slit all their throats?"

"For once, yes," Six whispers. "At least cut off their vocal cords before you kill them. We don't want anybody hearing their screams."

"I got ya," I say. "Make sure the door's locked. I'm gonna make them suffer real long."

Six bolts the door shut. The Mogadorians look up in confusion. One quickly realizes what's going on and pulls out a gun. Looks like these techies are brighter than the dimwits at Yosemite. I let go of Six and put on my best malicious grin. They see us and start yelling frantically. Some of them pick up their communications headsets. I pull out a gun and blast every single piece of equipment I see.

"Uh uh uh," I say, wagging my finger. A Mog growls and shoots. I extend my staff and deflect the shot back. It bounces around and the Mogs have to jump out of the way to avoid it. Man, these techies are way out of shape.

"Nine! Stop wasting time and get it done!" Six yells.

"Come on, can't I have my fun?" I protest. But I get on it. The first one gets his head taken off with the staff. I blast the next three. The remaining ones try to surround me and I laugh. I swing my staff in a huge circle and knock them all down. I blast the ones in front of me while they're on the ground.

I feel something behind me and instinctively swing my staff around. Six catches it and looks at me coldly.

"You know, I was gonna kill that one behind me," I remark. "The one that was about to get up. Why couldn't you let me get them all?"

"Can you take this seriously for once?" Six scolds. I shrink my staff, hold my hands up and walk to the end of the room. Six turns her headset on. "This is your clear. Hurry up and get up here so I can be relieved of this idiot."

* * *

"Okay, we're clear," John says. "Marina, Adamus, and Sam, come with me. Eight, you're taking Sarah, Ella, and Lucy, right?" Eight nods. "Okay. Let's go."

"You know, the one weakness Mogs have is that there's no one to watch the camera room. What if something goes down there?" John jokes as we stroll over to the building.

"That's definitely a problem," I laugh.

"Yes," Adamus agrees. "My race isn't known for their intelligence. Maybe I'll tell you someday about how many times I had to do Ivan's homework for him."

"So if Six and Nine have done their job correctly, we can just walk in here and nobody will know?" Sam asks. We've arrived in the lobby.

"Theoretically, yeah," John answers. "Of course, if a Mog spots you, you're still gonna have to kill them before they blast you."

"So we'll take care of the upper floors?" I ask.

"Yeah, all of the Mogs from floors 7-12 need to be piles of ash," John answers. "But we're gonna have to leave the building standing."

"Won't people notice that suddenly there's nobody left in the building?" Sam points out.

"This was never a popular office anyway," John responds. "But you're right, eventually they will notice. That's why we're taking on 17 bases-all of California-in 21 days. We have to move quickly before the Mogs catch on to what we're doing."

We reach the elevator. John pushes the button for the seventh floor.

"So pretty soon we'll have Mogadorians chasing us again?" I ask.

"I'd say in about a month or so," John says. I groan. "I know. But hey, it's just like the old days. Only this time we're all together, and we're a team." I smile.

The door opens to the seventh floor. We walk out into a seemingly normal-looking office. There are cubicles (at least that's what I think they're called) and desks.

"Never thought Mogs to be the smart type," John mutters. "No wonder no one comes here."

A Mog turns the corner and sees us. He stares at us in shock, then points at Adamus and yells, "Kill them!" John chokes him with telekinesis. However, the others have heard and are investigating to see what happened.

"Anything that comes at you with a gun, kill it," John says grimly. Adamus and Sam pull out their Mog cannons while John lights up his palms. I take a couple of breaths and get ready.

Most of the Mogs aren't equipped for fighting. They're the ones that do research and update the computers. They scramble to pull their guns out, but we've already turned them into ash by the time they get to. I use telekinesis to choke Mogs and throw them against walls. Out of the corner of my eye I see BK scratching Mogs with his eagle talons.

We quickly get rid of all of the Mogs on the floor.

"John, do you have a drive?" Adamus asks.

"I should," John replies, rummaging around in his pocket.

"Some of these computers might have useful things in them," Adamus says. He goes to the nearest one and begins typing. We crowd around him.

"These are basic Mog files," Adamus murmurs. "Found in every computer. That won't do us any good."

"What's that?" Sam asks. We look at where he's pointing. Adamus opens the file.

"It looks like an anatomy chart," Adamus says. "It doesn't look like a kraul or piken though."

"It looks pretty scary to me," I comment. The animal's skeleton is showing, with razor-sharp claws outlined. Mogadorian numbers align with the lengths and widths. It looks like some kind of bear or lion.

"Patricia and Malcolm can probably figure that out," John says. "I found the drive, so let me plug it in and we can download all of the files." We move to the side and he plugs the little drive in. It whirs and beeps as it does its work. Finally it finishes.

"Patricia, this is John checking in," John speaks into his mic. "We've just cleaned up on the seventh floor and I've downloaded the files from a computer. We're moving on to the eighth floor."

"Great," comes the response. "I'll check in with Eight's group and see how they're doing. In the meantime, keep doing what you're doing."

"Okay, guys," John says as he turns to us. "We'll clean up the rest of this building and meet up with Six and Nine on the twelfth floor. They should be working their way down here. Let's get rolling."

* * *

"Whoa, watch yourself," I say as I catch Sarah. She stumbled over a piece of cubicle.

"Thanks," she says, propping herself up.

"So on to the third floor then?" Ella asks.

"Yeah, we should probably go," I say. I look around at the destruction. "Um, maybe we should be more careful next time. People are going to come here, after all."

"Funny coming from the guy who turned into a gorilla," Lucy says, smirking.

"Ha ha ha," I say sarcastically. "Let's move on." We get in the elevator and go up. When the door opens a Mog waits there, snarling with a gun. A laser comes from behind me and I sidestep. The Mog turns to ash and Sarah brushes off the cannon.

"I see you're getting better with your aim," I remark.

"I try," she answers. We step out into an identical floor. Don't Mogs have any creativity? I shake my head.

"Hey, Eight," Ella perks up. I turn to her.

"Yeah?"

"Can I try something?" she asks. There's a glint in her eyes.

"Fine by me," I say. "I'm all for having fun. Just don't get yourself killed."

Two minutes later Sarah, Lucy, and I hide around the corner. Ella goes out in the open in the guise of an old lady.

"Are you sure she won't get killed?" Sarah hisses.

"Relax," I whisper. "Mogs are stupid. And it gets really boring if we have to do our business the same way every time."

Ella walks down the hall lined with cubicles. She turns at the first one and walks into the office. I see a Mog head over the top of the wall.

"Excuse me, young man," Ella croaks. "I seem to have lost my way."

"What are you doing here?!" the Mog growls. "This is private property!"

"I was just taking my stroll to the chiropractor," Ella says in her old woman voice. "I seem to have walked into the wrong building."

"There's no chiropractor around here," the Mog says flatly.

"Oh really? Those taxis are really getting worse these days. Would you mind taking me down there?"

"I have no time," the Mog dismisses.

"Please, I beg you. I need someone to help me cross the street. And I know those strong muscles of yours will protect me."

"Well, they are pretty big," the Mog says proudly. He flexes in front of Ella. I snicker. He's scrawnier than a stick.

"Let me see how strong they are," Ella says. She reaches a hand out and grabs onto the Mog's arm. She starts squeezing. The Mog smiles.

Suddenly the Mog starts coughing. He reaches his other arm to his throat.

"Oh, dear," Ella says. "Am I squeezing too hard?"

"No, no," the Mog coughs. "It's fine."

"You look sick, dear," Ella says tenderly. She puts her other hand in front of the Mog's throat. The Mog starts coughing even harder. Other Mogs start coming out of their cubicles to see what's going on.

"Are you all right, dear?" Ella asks. The Mog has stopped coughing. He's choking now. I can see Ella focusing her telekinesis.

"Aargh-what's-happening?" the Mog chokes out. Ella uses more telekinesis and the Mog stops choking. He dissolves to ash and the Mogs standing around Ella are shocked.

"Who are you?" one of them asks.

"I'm just an elderly lady who's lost my way," Ella replies, and sweeps them all off their feet. They don't know who she is, but they get that they're in trouble. They pull out their weapons.

"So maybe we should help Ella now," Lucy suggests.

"Yeah, I think that'd be good," I agree.

"I have to hand it to you, Ella," I say as we walk out of the building with the rest of the group. "That was pretty clever."

"Thanks," she says modestly. "I'm glad you guys helped out. I don't think I could have taken all of them."

"You did good," Sarah says, impressed. "I see being an Aeternus comes in handy sometimes."

"You should have seen her at Stonehenge," I chuckle. "Brilliant."

"Unlike you," Marina retorts. "That was a historical artifact you ruined!"

"Ehh," I shrug. "They can always find some other big rocks to put there."

We pile into the van and Patricia looks back at us.

"Great job, guys," Patricia compliments. "I'll drive us to our hotel in Chico tonight. Rest up well. Tomorrow we'll attack some bases in the California forests." I exhale and lay on the seat. Marina leans against me. I guess I could get used to this life.

* * *

"Alright, here's our room," I say to Lucy. I open the room with the key and we walk in. Lucy carries the suitcase behind her and sets it against the wall.

"So how was it today?" I ask.

"Pretty easy," Lucy says. "Ella pulled a funny trick on the Mogs."

"Oh really?" I raise my eyebrows. "I bet I could do better than that."

"There you go again being that macho man," Lucy says sarcastically.

"But that's why you love me," I grin.

"Yeah, I suppose," she sighs. She walks outside onto the deck.

"I'm not gonna say any romantic shit like 'look at the stars', in case you were wondering," I say to Lucy. I wrap my arm around her as she gazes at them.

"Hey, I just wanted to get a breath of fresh air," she chuckles. "You're the one who has to come out here and make it all awkwardly romantic."

"How am I making it romantic?" I protest. "I said I wasn't gonna make it romantic!"

"You're so funny sometimes," Lucy says. She walks back inside and I follow her.

"Well, if you wanted to know, me and Six kicked ass today," I say proudly.

"Or she kicked your ass for flirting with her," Lucy says sarcastically.

"Who says I was flirting with her?" I ask innocently.

"Well, I know you too well," she says. "I'm gonna take a shower. Don't do anything crazy like peek through the door."

"I won't," I promise. She snorts. "Hey, come on! I'm an angel!" She rolls her eyes and walks into the bathroom. I lay down on the bed and smile. I'm living life on the run again with the Garde. We're gonna kick Setrakus Ra's ass. Too bad I'm not Pittacus, but I don't care. When Johnny boy or Eight fights him I'll join in. I got myself a great girl too. I'm livin' large.

Lucy snuggles in bed. I raise a hand and flick the switch off with telekinesis.

"Don't sit on my stick," I wink.

"I might move to the other bed if you're gonna keep being annoying like this," Lucy threatens.

"It's my personality. Nothing you can change about it. That's why you fell in love with me, isn't it?" I ask cockily.

"I was interested at first, but now it's a pain to deal with you on a daily basis. Can you learn to ever shut up?"

"Everyone's different, babe."

"Yeah, whatever."

"How about you give your hot boyfriend a kiss before you go to sleep?"

"If it'll make you shut up, then fine." Lucy flips over onto my stomach. She kisses me on the lips and rolls back.

"That made my day. Thanks, sweetheart."

"You're such a womanizer. Go to sleep."

"Whatever you say." I grin and close my eyes.

* * *

**Next chapter will come either somewhere in the middle of the week or on the weekend. Eight's got some discoveries coming up. Don't forget to review!**


	27. Chapter 27: Change of Plans

** ninja7777: I guess I'm kinda putting in some of the movie Sam Goode, where he says stuff like "I play video games" right after he blasts a Mog. For the people that told me the mistake about Ella in the last chapter, thanks, and I'll probably correct it once that chapter is getting close to the 90 day deadline XD Random thing: I realize most people just call Adamus Adam, but it's too late now to change it. So I'm just calling him Adamus from now on. For once, I don't really have anything to say. Eight/John POV, in that order. Some wacky dreams. Review. Follow. Favorite. Let's go.**

* * *

Chapter 27

"Home sweet home!" John calls back at us. He opens the door with his key and his stuff floats behind him. The rest of us file into the lobby.

"I think I'll give you guys a week of rest, and then we won't be seeing this place for a while," Patricia tells us.

"Are we going on a roadtrip?" Six moans.

"Yes. You might wanna go shopping in the next few days," Patricia says. "We'll start here, out west, and then work our way through the US. After that, who knows. The only thing for certain is you'll probably have to get used to a nomadic life like most of us have had before."

Marina and I go up to our room and unpack. I sigh and lay on the bed, closing my eyes.

"You okay?" Marina asks.

"Yeah," I groan and flip over. "I'm so tired."

"Get some rest," Marina tells me.

"Pshhh, you don't need to tell me that," I say. Marina giggles. She goes in the bathroom and I put my hands over my head.

When Marina comes out I'm still laying in bed. I haven't moved an inch.

"Aren't you going to brush your teeth?" Marina asks.

"I'm way too tired," I mutter. Marina wrinkles her nose.

"You stink," she complains.

"You can sleep on the floor, then," I reply. "I'm not moving."

"Fine," she sighs. She gets in next to me. I close my eyes. I'm drained and I need sleep. I barely register the "good night" Marina tells me before I zone out.

I open my eyes suddenly. Where am I? This place looks fairly real. I know it's not Pittacus calling us because he always has the same environment. I take a look around. It looks like I'm in the mountains. I start hiking up. I don't know where I'm going, and I don't know why I'm here.

My lungs take in the cool mountain air and I keep trekking on. I see a small cave in the distance. I decide to head towards it. I'm used to the mountains from years of living in them and I quickly cover the distance. I peer inside the cave. There doesn't seem to be anything there. I go inside.

The cave is dark and I turn into a puma so I can see. I prowl into the cave. It's a lot deeper than I thought it would be. There's a maze of tunnels and I explore each one. Most of them are dead ends or have abandoned equipment in them. I reach the last one, the one I haven't explored yet. I have a bad feeling about this.

The tunnel is long and narrow, but I can squeeze through it. I hear a groan. I freeze and listen. It sounds like an old man. I cautiously creep closer. There's an old man tied to a wooden chair. He seems to be alone and his back is to me. Wait a minute. Is that…Devdan? I change back into a humanoid form and look at him.

"Devdan?" I whisper.

"W-who's there?" he asks. He looks around nervously.

"It's me," I whisper. "Naveen."

"Naveen," he says, as if my name is a new word for him. "Na-Naveen."

"I'm the one you helped train," I tell him. "Remember? I came to you as a rabbit in the mountains of India."

"Na-Naveen!" Devdan shouts. I look around, panicked. There's no one there. "You have to get out of here. It's a trap!"

"What do you mean?" I say desperately. "Where are you?"

"He wants you to come here," he stammers. "Don't come. Don't save me!"

"Tell me where you are!" I yell. "Please!"

"No, no, no," Devdan says. "He's coming, he's coming."

"Who's coming?" I ask panickedly.

"Ah, Number Eight." a new voice comes from the shadows. I spin around. Setrakus Ra. I grit my teeth.

"Face me, coward," I growl. Setrakus Ra laughs.

"If you ever want to see your mentor again, I would suggest not making any more insults," Ra threatens.

"Where is he?!" I shout.

"Calm down," Ra tells me. "He is merely being held captive right now in the Himalayas. If you want to see him again, you should come quickly."

"And I suppose your sorry ass is gonna get out of here as soon as we come there."

"Now, why would I leave when I can make THIS happen?" Setrakus Ra pulls his jagged blue sword out of nowhere and beheads Devdan. I scream.

"Come quickly, or you will see this happen again," Ra growls. He picks up his head and throws it at me. The image of Devdan's pain fills my eyes and I scream.

"AHHHHHHHH!" I scream. I sit up and look around. Marina's staring at me. I'm sweating and panting. The clock reads 2:17 AM.

"Eight, are you okay?" Marina asks, worried.

"Setrakus Ra," I stammer. Marina nods, understanding. There's a knock on the door.

"Come in," Marina says. The door opens and Patricia walks in.

"What's going on here?" she asks. She looks tired and there are bags under her eyes."

"Eight had a communication with Setrakus Ra," Marina tells her and looks at me. I tell them about my vision.

"We'll discuss this in the morning," Patricia says. "Go back to sleep for now." She closes the door and I lay back down.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Marina asks.

"I'll be fine," I assure her. "You won't have to worry."

"Okay," Marina says, but I can tell she's still thinking about me. I roll over and fall asleep, trying to forget about the events of the night.

* * *

"General. Status report."

"Yes, sir. We've collected data from scouts around the California area. There was a Level Two base that was stationed in Yosemite Park. A scout went by it four days ago and discovered the pile of rubble where the base once stood." I turn the corner and see Setrakus Ra and General Sutekh. No doubt my Somnium is kicking in again.

"The Garde have gone on the offensive," Setrakus Ra states.

"Shall I suggest something, sir?" General Sutekh asks.

"What?"

"We could have 2000 Mogadorians on them within the hour. Let's eliminate the Garde once and for all. Then nothing will stand in our way."

"No," Setrakus Ra dismisses. "The Garde have gotten stronger. They can be surrounded by 20 soldiers and still eliminate all of them. I have set a trap already for Number Eight. I do not know how many Garde he will bring, but I will wait for him there and eliminate him. You will command everyone to only use the soldiers to slow them down. If you can kill some of their human allies that will work as well. I will take out the Garde myself."

"But what if Number Eight decides to bring all of the Garde?" General Sutekh asks.

"Then I will require you and the other generals to stand by as backup. Bring 2000 soldiers each. That will be enough to overwhelm them, should the unlikely happen that I need assistance."

"Yes, sir."

Number Eight? What trap? My head swirls with thoughts. They walk down the hall of the building. I'm guessing we're in a base.

"How is the experiment?" Setrakus Ra asks.

"It is going very well. Would you like to see the results so far?"

"Yes. Take me to the lab."

They walk into what appears to be a science lab. There are humans strapped to chairs and being injected with something. I look the other way and gasp in horror. These are the humans that have been injected. Their eyes are yellow and fierce, and they look like beasts. Their teeth are yellow, clothes ripped and drooling.

"I take it these are the finished subjects?" Ra asks.

"That may be a better question for Dr. Zakos," the general replies.

"Dr. Zakos!" Ra calls. "What is the progress of this experiment?" A small Mogadorian, which I assume is the doctor, comes hurrying up.

"Yes, my lord. The test subjects behind the glass are currently the ones furthest ahead in development. Their strength and speed is remarkable, but I have inserted a small chip in each one of their brains. It allows them to be controlled either individually or as a group."

"Excellent," Ra says. "Let me know when they are ready to engage in combat." He and General Sutekh exit the lab. I run after them, trying to get away from the lab as fast as possible. What I just saw sickens me. The Mogadorians have developed some kind of formula that they're using to turn humans into monsters.

"Excuse me, sir," General Sutekh tells Ra as they head down the hallway. "We've gotten a new update from our scouts in California."

"What is it?" Ra growls. "It better be good news."

"Unfortunately, not," General Sutekh says. "Our scouts have found that every single base in California has been deactivated. The Garde have been using some kind of artificial signal and frequency to give a false image that the bases were still standing. There are no Mogadorians left in any of the bases."

"AARAAGGGH!" Setrakus Ra slams his fist against the wall. It makes a dent. "This only means I will have to eliminate them faster. No matter. I can and will kill all the Garde. Once they know the true extent of my power they will never stand a chance." They continue walking down the hallway. I try to follow them but my feet get stuck. I slowly sink into the ground. I scream but there's nothing I can do. I close my eyes.

"John, get up." Sarah's nudging me. I groggily open my eyes. Back in my room. I get up and get dressed. Sarah notices the wild look in my eyes.

"Another dream?" she asks. I nod. I hurry out of the room and into the kitchen. About half of the group is already there.

"What's the rush?" Patricia asks.

"Somnium," I say quickly. Patricia sighs.

"Another dream," she says. "Well, let's eat and then we'll discuss." Another dream? What does she mean?

Everyone finishes and Patricia starts.

"Okay, so we've got not one, but two important visions that happened last night. Eight, you wanna go first?" Eight starts talking. His dream is about Devdan and Setrakus Ra. It's a message from him. "And now John," she says. I tell everyone about the experiment and how they've caught up to us.

"So, any ideas about what we should do?" Patricia asks.

"Well, they're obviously onto us," Six says. "But if what John heard is right, they're not gonna come after us anytime soon. Setrakus Ra wants to be the one to take us out."

"We need to save Devdan," Eight says and pounds his fist on the table.

"No way, man," Nine objects. "I ain't goin' after another human." Out of the corner of my eye I see Sam wince.

"There's something special about Devdan," Eight insists. "He taught me how to use my shapeshifting Legacy. I think he might be one of the original people who helped the Loric."

"You heard Setrakus Ra, didn't you?" Lucy says. "It's a trap. If we go there, he'll kill us. We're not ready to take him on yet."

"I don't care!" Eight shouts. "I'll ask Pittacus if I can channel his powers again or something! I can already teleport around the world because of him! He can give me something to take on Setrakus Ra!"

"Eight, calm down," Patricia says quietly. He hears her and sits back down, shaking his head. "Setrakus Ra is trying to play to your emotions. Leave them out of this. You need to decide if saving Devdan is worth the risk of running into Setrakus Ra."

"We went after Sam for John," Eight says. "We have to go after Devdan for me."

"Yeah, but we weren't going up against Setrakus Ra when we went after Sam," Six says. Eight glares at her. This is the most riled up I've seen him ever.

"Maybe he's bluffing," I say hopefully. "Maybe he'll just stay at whatever base he's at and just keep Devdan a prisoner." An awkward silence follows my weak reasoning.

"I got an idea," Nine says. Oh, this should be good. "We should split up. Didn't Ra say he hopes more Garde show up? Maybe if we don't bring as many people, then he'll be real disappointed and just be like, 'I'm going home'. What do you say?" We think about it. It seems crazy, splitting up, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense.

"I don't think splitting up is a good idea," Sarah says.

"Hey, we can all fight now," Nine answers. "No biggie. Plus, if Setrakus Ra does show up, at least we don't all get killed." Everyone stares at him. He shrugs.

"Let's split up," Eight says, ignoring Nine.

"Shall we take a vote?" Patricia asks. We all nod yes. The vote comes down to a tie. Adamus is the last one and he hasn't voted. Everyone waits for his vote. He looks nervous. After a while, he takes a breath.

"I vote we split up," Adamus says. Half of the people cheer while the other half sigh. Sarah and Ella glare at him while Nine and Six smile.

"Let's get some order in here!" Patricia yells over the noise. We quiet down. "Alright, now that we've decided we're splitting up, let's make the groups. I'm thinking half of us will go to the Himalayas while the other half will continue destroying bases in the US."

After a while, we decide the groups. Sarah, Nine, BK, Malcolm, Sam, Lucy, Adamus and me will stay in the US while Eight, Six, Marina, Ella, and Patricia go to India.

"Alright, we'll leave this weekend," Patricia says. "John and Malcolm, you guys are in charge of planning your next attack while I'm gone. Malcolm will have all the equipment and John will make the roles."

So it's settled. At the end of this week half of us will leave for India while the rest of us push on towards Nevada. It's time for me to step into a leadership role, especially with Patricia gone. Meanwhile, I can only hope everyone else stays safe and we're all successful.


	28. Chapter 28: The Fork in the Road

**First of all, I have some bad news. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I originally planned to finish this right when the actual Fall of Five came out. Due to the ridiculous amounts of homework I have during the summer, Driver's Ed, sports, and a three week vacation in August, it looks like that won't be possible. Sorry! :( Uploads will probably have to be limited to once a week. But that's enough. Chapter 28. The Garde head their separate ways. Lucy, Six, John POV, in that order. Thank you for the reviews, and read on!**

* * *

Chapter 28

"Whooooooo! Vegas, baby!"

"Nine, shut up," I mutter and flip over.

"Come on, Lucy! How are you not excited?! We're going to Vegas!"

"Nine, we're over there on a mission, not to fool around."

"Still, we have like a day off. Oh man, I can't wait!"

I sit up and look at Nine. Piles of poker chips and playing cards are on top of the bed, and he's trying to stuff them in his suitcase. I know somewhere in there he has wads of money to blow once we get there.

"You know you need to bring your Chest too," I point out. "Might wanna take some of those chips out."

"I thought you were bringing my Chest," Nine says.

"Are you serious? No way. Take your own Chest."

Half an hour later Nine emerges from our room. I'm having breakfast while others are making their preparations. I'm glad Nine's coming with us. Even though he acts really stupid sometimes, he's still my boyfriend.

"Did you get your Chest in?" I ask him.

"Yeah, but do you know how many decks I had to throw out?" he protests. I shake my head. Sometimes his priorities are mixed up.

"Is everyone ready?" Patricia calls. "Come over here if you're coming with me." Eight and Marina are already standing by her. I catch Ella and Six out of the corner of my eye coming too.

"Hey, guys, same here," John says. "Once you're done with whatever you need to get done, come over here."

We join him as he counts off heads.

"Five, six, seven. Alright, everyone's here. As soon as the other group heads to the airport, we'll be leaving in the van. Everyone got their luggage?" Nods from the group. "Good. Let's go."

Everyone packs in the van and Nine drives to the airport. Eight could have just teleported them there, but with so many people living in India, it was risky that they could have been seen. Eight, Marina, Six, Ella, and Patricia check in and we bid them goodbye. _Hopefully it's not the last time, _I think with a shudder.

"If anything goes wrong, you have telepathy," I tell Ella. She nods.

"I'll keep in touch with you," she answers. They pass through security and disappear from sight. We head back to the parking lot.

"So, now that that's done, we can get going on our trip," Malcolm remarks. He takes the wheel and the rest of us pile in in the back. John sits in the front to help with directions.

"So who's shitty Mog home are we blowing up today?" Nine asks. He's slouched in the back, next to me. I cast him a sideways glance.

"Nothing today, Nine," John answers from the front. "We're heading north to Oregon. Obviously there's nothing left in California, so we're moving on."

"Lemme see that," Nine says and pulls his laptop telepathically away from John. John starts a cry of protest, but cuts it off because he knows it's pointless. I lean in next to Nine to look at the map. The state of California is littered with red dots. I look at Oregon, where green dots pulse around major cities.

"Man, I thought we were going to Nevada," Nine laments.

"Put that super hearing of yours to good use and actually listen for once," John says. I snicker. Nine looks at me, annoyed. I look out the window at the palm trees and beaches. Soon we'll be leaving them for mountains and forests.

* * *

"Flight 687 has now begun boarding. Seating Area 1 may now come up to the podium." I look up from my phone. Flight 687. I try not to think about what it means. It's just a coincidence. Nothing to worry about. I look around. Eight and Marina are talking, Ella's reading and Patricia has some papers in her hands. I pull out my boarding pass and look at our seating area. 8? Are you kidding me? Probably another 20 minutes of waiting.

They finally call our area and I tell the others to get up. We get in line and board. Patricia bought tickets for economy so as to not attract attention. Patricia, Ella, and I sit in one row while Eight and Marina sit behind us. I practice some telekinesis on the magazine in front of me by flipping the pages. We finally take off after about half an hour. The flight's about 20 hours. I sit back and close my eyes.

"Six? What do you want to drink?" It's Ella shaking me. I blink an eye open. The food cart is next to us.

"Oh, um, I'll have a Coke," I say sleepily. Ella passes it down to me and the flight attendant moves on. I take a sip and watch some of the movies on the TV in front of me.

"How long did I sleep?" I ask Patricia.

"About two hours," Patricia answers. I groan. 18 hours to go.

"Please fasten your seat belts. We will be landing shortly." I open my eyes for what seems like the 10th time. I slept so much. Thankfully we've arrived. Within 20 minutes we've landed at New Delhi airport. We exit the plane and go through customs and pick up our luggage. Thankfully most of the Cepans seem to have carried forging tools.

"So what's the plan now?" I ask as we walk out.

"I've contacted Commander Sharma," Eight responds. "His men should be here to pick us up shortly. In the meantime, we should probably wait for him in the lobby." We sit down on couches and pass time while we wait.

After about half an hour, Eight's phone rings.

"Hello?" he says, picking up. "Yes, it's me. We're waiting in the lobby. Alright, we'll come out there. Okay. Sounds good." He hangs up. "Okay, he said to meet him out there." He picks up his bags and leads while the rest of us follow behind him. We go out into the street where there's a Hummer waiting for us. Eight goes over to it and puts his stuff in the back. We throw our stuff in too and Eight gets in the front seat.

"You-you came back," Commander Sharma stammers when we all get in. "You are not Vishnu. Who are you?"

"It is true I am not Vishnu," Eight replies. "But I am something that equals the power of Vishnu. That, you cannot know. However, if you can help us, then you will know eventually."

"Yes, lord," Commander Sharma says and starts driving. I assume we're going to the Himalayas, where Eight's mountain home once was.

"Please, don't call me lord," Eight tells him. "We are equals now. You can call me Eight. Tell me, are there any threats to us?"

"Eight, my men are all but gone," Commander Sharma says sadly. "After you left, they all either deserted or betrayed me. I have a few loyal assistants, but that is it. The Lord's Resistance has crushed but all of my forces."

"Are they tracking us right now?" Eight asks seriously.

"Fortunately not. They have no time for me now because they know I cannot do any harm." Eight nods in satisfaction.

"Where are we going?" Patricia asks. Commander Sharma turns around and seems to realize we exist for the first time.

"These are your friends?" Commander Sharma asks. Eight nods. "I have met you all before. You, however, I do not know." He looks in the mirror at Patricia.

"I'm another friend of Eight's," Patricia explains. "So where are we going?"

"I am taking you to the Himalayas," Commander Sharma says. "I have a small home at the base of the mountains that you can stay in for tonight. Eight tells me you will only stay one night, and leave for the mountains tomorrow. I have prepared supplies for you on your trip."

"That's very kind of you," Patricia says. We continue on the road. Soon we leave the city and get out into the open. Commander Sharma tells us we'll probably reach his home by nightfall.

"We will be arriving shortly," Commander Sharma calls back. It's been a few hours since we've gotten off the plane. The sewers and markets have given way to mountains and dirt. The Hummer handles the rough road easily. I see a small building in the distance. It's old and the paint is peeling off. A clothesline hangs to the side of it and there's a single antenna on the roof.

We get out and go inside. It's modest but clean.

"You and your friends will be sleeping on the second floor," Commander Sharma tells Eight. "My assistants and I sleep on the first floor. There are many rooms to choose from and you can have any."

"Thank you," Eight says. "So guys, let's go up." We follow him up the stairs and choose our rooms. Eight and Marina take the room on the end and Ella and I take the one next to them. Patricia takes the one across from us. I unpack and look out the window. Night has fallen and the moon has come up. Once we're finished, Ella and I join the others downstairs for dinner. I realize how hungry I am, and wolf down the meal they give me.

"You guys will wanna get some rest," Patricia tells us after dinner. We're meeting in her room. "Tomorrow Eight will lead us up the mountains. Commander Sharma has showed us the supplies he gave us. We have enough food and water for a few days. We have two tents to carry, and I hope all of you packed winter gear. We'll leave the rest of the stuff here."

"How long will we be gone?" Marina asks.

"Probably no more than a few days," Eight answers. "I hope it doesn't take that long." I think about our mission. It's absolute insanity. We have five people and we're planning to take on Setrakus Ra and probably a small army of Mogs. Sure, our skills have improved, but I really don't think we're ready yet.

After the meeting we go to our rooms. Ella goes to sleep immediately. I lay down on the bed with my hands behind my head. I can't sleep. Probably jetlag. I think about Sam. I miss him and his dorkiness. _Get a grip, Six, _I tell myself. _Boys never stopped you before. _It's different this time, though. It's not some crush I've had for a day. It's my boyfriend. I think about him trying to practice fighting techniques and I chuckle. I'm worried about him. He has some experience now, but he still might do something stupid and get hurt. I sigh and close my eyes. I still can't sleep.

An hour of tossing and turning later, I decide to get some training in. The mountains are a perfect place and I need to burn some energy. I put some clothes on and creep quietly down the stairs and out the door. Once I'm past there, I break into a sprint up into the mountains. I go invisible and hurl boulders with telekinesis. I jump from ridge to ridge and climb up cliffs. I've never felt better.

I head back to the home at a slow jog. As I reach the base of the mountain, I hear something. I look up and see a pearly white ship in the distance. It's heading towards the mountains. _Setrakus Ra, _I think. So it's true. We really will take on the leader of the Mogadorians, a Loric elder who betrayed his race, in a few days. When I get back I check my suitcase for the Rodagium darts that we swiped from a few of the bases. We'll be needing those.

* * *

Malcolm pulls into the parking lot of the hotel. We've arrived in a small town in the south part of Oregon called Klamath Falls. We'll stay here tonight and tomorrow we're attacking our first bases in Oregon. I check us all in and we go to our rooms. Sarah and me, Sam, Malcolm, and Adamus, Nine and Lucy. BK stays with us. I unlock the room and we go in.

"We've still got some time," Sarah tells me. "About an hour. What do you wanna do?"

"I don't know," I answer. "Maybe we should take BK for a walk or something." _I'm not a dog, _BK's voice sounds in my head, annoyed. I look around and spot him as a fly on the wall. _I'm a Chimaera. _"Same thing, buddy," I say out loud. BK looks at me. I swear that dog-I mean Chimaera- can make faces. I chuckle. "Okay, boy."

There's a knocking at the door. Sarah opens it and it's Nine and Lucy.

"Hey, I don't know about you guys, but we're going to the lake," Nine says. "We were wondering if you wanna come."

"Are Sam and Malcolmcoming?" I ask. Lucy shakes her head.

"They wanna do some more research on combating the Mogs' weapons or something like that," Lucy says. "But it's still bright out and there's about an hour till sunset."

"Sure, let's go," Sarah says and looks at me. I nod and get up. _BK, you wanna come? _I ask in my head. He perks up and wags his tail. He changed from insect to beagle while we were talking to Nine. I lock the door and we go.

After an hour of canoeing and walking around the lake, we get back to the hotel room. Sarah goes into the bathroom while I get out on the deck. The sun is halfway past the horizon. I have a habit of getting on the deck whenever we go to a hotel. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fresh air, or the view.

The sky turns dark and I get back inside. I take a shower and join Sarah. BK lays spread-eagled on the other bed.

"So what are we doing tomorrow?" Sarah asks.

"Probably attacking some bases like usual," I answer. "I'm kinda tired. I guess this is our life from now on."

"Probably," Sarah murmurs. She suddenly rolls over on top of me. "I've missed you."

"That's silly," I say, smiling. "I've been with you every day now."

"That's the worst kind of missing. When someone's right next to you and you miss them," Sarah mocks. I chuckle as I remember what I said to her that day in Paradise.

"You're talkin' crazy," I chuckle. Sarah kisses me and the sweet smell of strawberries fills my nose.

"But seriously, I've missed you," Sarah says once we break apart. "Every day has just been so busy. I never get any time with you anymore."

"You sleep with me every night," I point out.

"It's not really romantic when you wake up every morning and rush out of the room to tell Patricia about your latest nightmare," Sarah jokes. I laugh.

"Alright, I'm sorry." I pull her in for another kiss. After we break apart, I say, "Do you accept my apology?"

"I guess." She gives a small smile and yawns. "I'm tired, so I'm gonna go to sleep. Love you."

"You're just gonna sleep on me like this?" I ask. Sarah lifts her head.

"Yup. Deal with it." She grins and puts her head down on my chest. I sigh and close my eyes.

Back in the dimension. _Oh boy, _I think. I walk around, but this time Eight's not there. The void opens and Pittacus steps through.

"Where's Eight?" I ask him.

"Ah, yes," he answers. "Since you two have separated and are in different time zones of the world, I cannot contact you at the same time. It is currently daylight where he is. However, that is just as well because I have something to discuss with you."

"Okay." I nod. "Is it anything important that Eight needs to hear too? I can pass on the message to him."

"No." Pittacus shakes his head. "This pertains to you only."

"Well, fire away," I say.

"The human girl." Pittacus says simply. My stomach drops. I try to keep a straight face, but I already know where this is going.

"Who are you talking about? Sarah?" I ask, pretending not to know.

"You know very well who I am referring to," Pittacus says sternly. "The one you are with right now."

"What about her?" I ask. My heart is sinking.

"You may enjoy your time now with her, but you must find a Loric mate," Pittacus says.

"No," I say through gritted teeth. "I'm not going to betray her again."

"May I suggest Number Six?" Pittacus says. "Your parents knew hers. You two would be perfect to repopulate once the war is over."

"How are so sure we'll win the war?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"You will win the war because one powerful Loric Elder is no match for seven lesser Loric Elders," Pittacus says. "And since the Mogadorians have annihilated our population, we need to repopulate."

"What about that Cepan colony you were talking about?" I say. "The one who's disguised as refugees."

"Even if I were to find them now, they are only Cepan," Pittacus dismisses. "We need powerful Garde. We need to repopulate the Garde. You cannot have children with a human. We must have full-blood Garde to protect our planet from another attack.

"No. I'm not doing it. I'm not going to leave Sarah for Six."

"Then my decision is clear," Pittacus says coldly. "You will not become Pittacus Lore. I will select Number Eight to become the next Pittacus Lore."

"Then does that mean I can be with Sarah?" I ask sarcastically.

"No. I may have to prevent you from becoming an Elder," Pittacus says. My face turns to shock. "Do not look so surprised, Number Four," Pittacus continues. "The Elders always have offspring who will be raised to become future Elders. You will be cast out of this group and become a normal Garde." I think about this for a few moments. "I suggest you gauge how much this human girl means to you. Make the wise decision." With that, the void starts opening again. He starts stepping through.

"Hey! Six loves Sam! He's a human! What are you gonna do about that?!" I yell. Pittacus turns around.

"The same process that I will do to you," he replies and starts stepping through again.

"Where are you gonna get the Elders from, then? Huh?! You're down to five Elders now!" I yell. Pittacus is already through the void, but I can tell my words get to him. He turns around, his face a mixture of confusion and anger. Then the void disappears completely, and the pulling sensation begins.

I sit up, gasping. Sarah falls off me and looks at me.

"Seriously? Another dream?" she chuckles. I look at her. She sees the look in my eyes and stops smiling. "Um, is it okay if I just leave you alone for a while?" she asks uncertainly.

"Yeah," I say, out of breath. "That would be good. I need some time to think." Sarah nods and heads out of the room. BK follows her. I go out onto the deck and lean against the railing. I'm not sure what just happened. I'm not sure it was even real. My decision is Sarah vs. my planet. My blood and life vs. the only girl I've ever truly loved.


	29. Chapter 29: One Rocks, the Other Rolls

**Hey guys, lot to talk about. First of all, I want to apologize for my absence from Fanfiction. I know I just kind of disappeared without explanation, so here it is. I felt like I needed to take a break from writing and I was getting a little tired of writing every week. It was my bad, I decided to after I uploaded my last chapter, so you guys didn't know. It's my fault, I should've written more. And my three week vacation is coming up so another three weeks without writing :( I'm really sorry, I should've at least uploaded a note or something for you guys. My bad. So this is a long chapter to at least kind of make up for it. I was kinda depressed about Sabine Lisicki losing Wimbledon, but I'm over it now. This chapter is from Eight and Sarah's view. Each group is continuing their journey and finding different things. In the next chapter, someone will gain a new Legacy, and more will come about the red darts. I've been seeing a lot of new Fall of Five stories popping up in recent weeks, so I'm glad to see a lot of people are motivated to start their own writing! Now answering some reviews: csarcher3: thanks! Glad you like it! Mysteryfanaticno1: I actually planned for that to happen in a couple chapters, and the Garde will develop new Legacies based on specific circumstances, so it should happen soon :) THG1: I am planning a sequel to the story but I don't know if I'll have time to write. My goal is to just get this done, although I have started planning the sequel. Like I've mentioned before, it'll be set about 100 years after the war. John: you'll see why I put the Pittacus part in later. BTW I did a search by reviews recently and I was extremely surprised to find myself in the top 10! Thanks so much for sticking with me all this time! So read on, and don't forget to review!**

* * *

Chapter 29

My eyes open and I see the wooden ceiling. I remember where I am. I turn on my side and look at Marina, who is sleeping peacefully next to me. I grab my phone, put some clothes on, and head out of the room. It's about 5 o'clock local time. I go out for a quick run. Most of the road ahead hasn't been traveled. I figure we'll have to be careful especially with carrying so many supplies.

I get back and almost everybody's up. I go up to the rooms and wake up Marina and Ella and head back down. Breakfast is lamb and porridge. The familiar meal gives me nostalgia. The times and memories in India strengthened me for this war.

"Be safe out there," Commander Sharma warns. "The mountains are very dangerous themselves, and I do not know what other things you may find in them." He's walked us to the door after breakfast.

"We'll be safe," I promise. "If we make it, we'll be back in around 3-4 days to collect the rest of our stuff."

"Is all this stuff really necessary?" Six asks. She's holding the tent and a bunch of pots in the air with telekinesis.

"Do you want to freeze to death in the mountains?" Patricia answers. Six rolls her eyes but goes quiet. I say goodbye to Commander Sharma and lead us out.

Throughout the morning, small talk goes on and we trudge through the rock. It's a difficult climb even with our strength and speed. We're lucky to even have land to walk on. I chose this spot specifically because it's a flatter part of the range, so we have more land to walk on. Keeping the equipment in the air without even thinking, I focus on the task ahead. I am going to fight Setrakus Ra. I will rescue Devdan.

"Eight, I'm hungry," Six calls from the back after an hour or so.

"It's not like you to complain, Six," I respond.

"Yeah, well normally I don't do three hour hikes through the tallest mountain range on Earth."

"Eight, Six is right," Patricia agrees. "I'm tired too. Let's stop and have some lunch." I sigh.

"Fine, but we're gonna get going again right after lunch," I say. I find a relatively flat spot and gently set down the cooking utensils.

"So what's for lunch?" Marina asks. Ella comes over to the food and digs through it.

"Ham, bread, turkey, more bread, bacon, more bread, sausages, cans of veggies, more bread," Ella lists off.

"We could cook some of the stuff," Six suggests.

"Did we bring any matches?" I call out.

"Why would you need matches?" Patricia chuckles. I don't get it, but then she pulls out the Xlitharis. I nod. "Who wants the honor of being John for an hour?" she asks.

"I'll do it," Six states and Patricia hands her the Xlitharis. She absorbs the Legacy from the yellow rock.

"Test it out," Marina suggests. Six points her hand at a rock in the distance and a light shines on it.

"So now we can cook our food," I say. I open some bags of ham and put them in a pan. "Six, shine your light," I tell her. She puts her palm under the pan and turns on the light. The ham starts crackling and suddenly bursts into flames.

"Maybe you could tone it down a little," I suggest as I dump the ashes of the ham into the ground. Six snorts and tries again. After a few times she finally gets the right temperature. We make some sandwiches and sit down on rocks.

"Hey Eight, something just came to my mind," Marina says.

"Yeah?" I ask with my mouth full.

"Do you know where we're supposed to be going? I'm a little bit worried we might get lost." I cast her an annoyed glance, but I understand.

"I know," I say confidently. "I can feel where that coward is hiding."

We quickly pack up the supplies and keep going. The temperature rises a little in the afternoon, but we still keep our heavy winter gear on. I slowly settle into a grind, until I block out all other thoughts but putting one foot in front of the other. The terrain gets rougher and the air thinner. I'm prepared for it, but I take a look back and the rest of us don't seem to be doing so well. I stop and take a drink of water while I wait.

"My legs are kind of sore," Ella tells us when they all catch up.

"Should we take a break?" Patricia asks. I nod reluctantly. I look up at the sky. Slowly but surely, the sun is fading. I guess it's about 4 or 5 o'clock. I scan the horizon. We've made good progress for a day. We haven't gotten into the mountain yet, but we should be on the edge.

The elevation slowly increases as we walk. I have to breathe harder and my legs pump faster. I can only imagine what it's like for everyone else. I focus on Devdan, ignoring the pain. This is why I'm here. He's the one who showed me how to control my Legacies. He's part of my inner circle.

Six's temporary Lumen has worn off and we have cold sandwiches for dinner. We sit on a relatively flat patch of land on portable chairs. Light snow is starting to coat the ground now. I'm thinking we should call it quits for tonight.

"Guys, we should either find a place or set up for tonight," Patricia tells us, as if reading my mind.

"I'm on board with that idea," Six agrees. I chuckle. You know it's intense when Six is tired.

"Doesn't look like there are any caves or places to stay here though," Marina comments.

"That's why we brought tents," Ella points out. "I think they're designed for the cold too."

"It's about to get dark soon," Patricia remarks. "I think we should just set up here. It's not good to sleep on an angled surface anyway."

I grab the tent and set it up. It's a six person tent designed for the cold. I look inside the tent and figure there's not nearly enough room for all of us.

"We'll have to put the gear outside. Is that okay?" I ask Patricia. She nods.

"I was going to have people on watch anyway, so it works," she tells me. I take some flashlights and a portable heater into the tent. Marina brings the sleeping bags in. We have five mummy bags, special sleeping bags that can cover your head. Six and Ella pack up the equipment outside.

"Patricia, what time is it?" I ask.

"It's 7:45. We're all tired, so once we finish outside, we'll crash for today. Who wants to take watch first?"

I raise my hand. I'm tired, but probably not as much as the others. Marina volunteers with me. I grab two flashlights and two chairs. Six, Ella, and Patricia go inside the tent. Soon I hear soft breathing from inside.

"Why did we stop so early?" Marina asks me.

"Patricia and I figured we were all pretty exhausted," I answer. "This is the highest mountain range in the world, after all."

"They're beautiful though, even if they are hard to hike up," Marina says to me.

"Yeah. Most of my life I grew up here. Then you had to come and ruin it for me," I tease. Marina giggles.

"It wasn't me," she objects. "It was Six."

"Yeah, but you made me fall in love with you and pull me away from here."

"That's not my fault."

"Yes it is. It's your fault you're pretty," I say. Marina playfully shoves me. I make a whine and straighten my chair out.

"Why do we flirt every time we're alone?" I wonder.

"Maybe that's your fault," Marina jokes. I roll my eyes and she laughs. I yawn and find some coffee in a thermos. We chat and I sip my coffee. After about three hours or so I wake up Six and Ella and they take the shift. I give Marina a quick kiss and crawl into my sleeping bag. My eyelids close before I know it.

"You're getting closer, Number Eight," a voice whispers. My eyes open and I'm immediately alert. I'm in complete darkness except for lights which I assume are coming from machines. "Such a pity it will all be in vain."

"Come out where I can see you," I snarl. I creep around, searching for the nemesis of the Loric, the slime responsible for this chaos.

"Ah, no need," Setrakus Ra whispers. "I'm right here." Suddenly the lights flip on and I see Devdan. Only I know it's not Devdan.

"You won't save him," Ra says in Devdan's guise. "You can't save him."

"You're not gonna tell me what I fucking can do or can't do," I mutter.

"I am in a good mood today, Number Eight, so I will give you a fair warning," Ra speaks. "Turn back now. There is no possible way you will save Devdan. You will spare your race much less bloodshed if you do not come. If you dare face me, you, everyone with you, and everyone you love will be slaughtered."

"You think I'm gonna listen to you?" I snort.

"Absolutely not," Ra replies. "That is why I am looking forward to your arrival." Devdan begins to convulse. His skin changes tone and he starts growing. His change completes and he becomes the 20 foot monster with black hair, a purple scar, and his staff. The jagged blue sword and fiery whip hang from his belt.

"You think you can defeat me?" Ra roars. "I would enjoy seeing you try, puny Garde!" His voice rocks the room. I stand firm.

"How are you going to defeat us without your funny little toys, huh?" I shout. "What are you gonna do once you can't take away our Legacies?" Setrakus Ra roars and charges. I yell as he rushes, but then I feel a tugging sensation. It suddenly becomes violent and I'm pulled backwards. The room spins and disappears. I get nauseous and close my eyes. Once I feel my surroundings stop spinning, I open my eyes to find myself face-to-face with Pittacus Lore.

"I apologize for my tardiness," Pittacus amends. "Setrakus Ra's dream visions are not pleasant for anyone to have."

"Pittacus, you can pull me out of one of his visions?" I ask confusedly.

"As I am the ruling Elder and superior to him in rank, I have control over the visions that he sends," Pittacus explains. "I cannot monitor them every day however, and each time I attempt something like this it drains my energy."

I notice I'm the only one here for the first time.

"Where's John?" I ask.

"I…sent him away," Pittacus says uncomfortably.

"What do you mean? Aren't we supposed to confer with you at the same time?"

"Oh, I just meant that you two are in different time zones. If you are not both asleep at the same time, I cannot contact you both," Pittacus says. I nod, understanding.

"So what'd you bring me here for then? It can't be just to escape Ra's vision."

"Ah, yes. I would like to inform you that I will coming to my decision," Pittacus tells me. He doesn't have to explain. I know what decision he's talking about.

"Why so quickly?" I ask.

"The tide of the war is turning, and we need a strong leader when the momentum is on our side. This forces me to choose the next Pittacus Lore sooner than I would like. However, it may not be a difficult decision."

"Why not?" I question.

"Observing one's behavior over several weeks, and a year in you and Number Four's case, can establish a behavior pattern. I can believe that what you have exhibited will continue with you, and so that makes my decision easier."

"Soooo…what do you see?" I ask.

"At the moment, I am favoring you, Number Eight," Pittacus tells me. I keep silent. "You have shown leadership by using your experience of the mountains and combat to lead your missions. You have demonstrated maturity and responsibility. I am still keeping my mind open, however."

"I thought John was a pretty good leader too," I say quietly. "Maybe better than me."

"Ah, yes," Pittacus says. I swear I hear a sigh. "Number Four has some internal issues that I cannot discuss with you personally. But once you two have reunited, I will contact you both with my decision."

"Sounds like a plan," I say.

"It appears you need to report for watch duty now," Pittacus says. "Farewell." The void opens and he steps through. The tugging sensation comes again and I quickly get sucked back into reality.

* * *

I pick at the scrambled eggs and bacon on my plate. Nine and Lucy sit at the table with me and Sam is sitting with his dad at another table. _What's wrong with John? _I think. _Even some of the worst dreams didn't freak him out like this. Is something happening?_

Deciding I'm not hungry, I dump my food and head back upstairs. I open the door to our room. John's not there but I hear running water. I lay down on the bed and wait for him to finish showering. After about five minutes, I hear the door open and sit up. He's wearing a plain white t-shirt and boxers. His hair is wet and he looks like he's gone through too much.

"Are you okay?" it's the first thing that comes out of my mouth. He looks at me and sits down next to me.

"Yeah, but… I just don't know how to say this," he sighs. I freeze. Is our relationship over? A tear unconsciously forms in my eyes.

"No, it's not that," John whispers. I look at him with a little bit of relief. "But… it is about you."

"Tell me," I say. "What was the dream?"

"Well, to put it bluntly, let's say Pittacus is being an ass," John grimaces.

"What does it have to do with me?" I ask, confused.

"He basically said… I can't be with you." I cover my mouth with my hand. John whispers a "Shhh" and puts his arm around me.

"It's not as bad as you think," John explains. "He wants the Garde to reproduce with other Garde. If I stay with you, then he won't choose me for Pittacus Lore. In fact, he'll take it one step further and cast me out from the Elders."

"So what are you gonna do then?" I ask sadly.

"Obviously I can't leave the girl of my life," he says confidently, but I look in his eyes and see uncertainty. He has a duty to his planet and race. I'm just a domino in the way. Suddenly I think of something.

"What about Six and Sam?" I ask. "Six is going to be an Elder too. What's he gonna do with her?"

"He said he's gonna do the same thing to her," John says bitterly. "I'm sure Six won't be on board with that either. Plus I asked him what's he gonna do with five Elders, and he didn't answer. So I don't really think he's gonna do it. We're the only Garde left and we're all Elders. Unless he can bring One, Two, and Three back from the dead."

"John, stay with me," I beg. He hugs me tightly.

"I'll never leave you, Sarah," he whispers. "I don't care what Pittacus says. I'm not leaving you." I bury my face in his chest and close my eyes. It's all a nightmare.

He lets go and looks at me.

"Well, we should probably get going. We do have a base to destroy today," he says awkwardly. I chuckle.

"The man with a plan," I remark. We grab our things and head out.

We drive to a base secluded in the forests of Oregon. This has become routine by now. John and Nine go first and soften up the defenses. The rest of us pile in. This time, John stays with us on defense while Adamus goes with Nine and Lucy. Malcolm and Sam do their thing at the computers and BK patrols like the loyal dog he is. I cradle a Mog cannon and look around.

"Bored?" John asks. I look up.

"You guys did too good of a job," I complain. "I don't have to do anything."

"I haven't seen you in action," he comments. "Are you good?"

"No, I haven't improved at all after two months of doing this," I say sarcastically.

"Let's make it interesting, then," John says. He hands me a knife. "Next time a Mog horde comes, I'll take them all out and leave one. Let's see how good your combat skills really are."

"What if I get killed?" I ask drily.

"You won't," John promises. I give him the cannon and take the knife.

After about 10 minutes a small Mog group comes. John takes them all out and leaves one like he said he would.

"It's showtime, Sarah!" he yells. I sigh and step out into the hallway. The Mog makes an inarticulate noise. He's probably surprised at me. I don't blame him. He has no weapon, probably because John destroyed it. He makes up his mind and charges.

I sidestep his clumsy charge and trip him. He falls on his face and howls in pain. I take the opportunity and stab him in the back. His body disintegrates into ash. Then I hear clapping.

"Not bad, Sarah," John says. "Told you you didn't need my help. You're a little warrior."

"Are you satisfied? Can I have my gun back?" I say impatiently. John chuckles and hands it back.

"I was worried what you'd be able to do without a gun. Turns out you'll do just fine," John says.

"Hey, guys!" Sam calls from the control room. We quickly walk back inside. "We found something strange!" John strides up to the computer and looks at it. I come up and peer over his shoulder. It's a diagram of a dart. I assume it's the one Ella used in New Mexico. There's a strange language around the dart that looks like Arabic.

"It seems to be an in-depth diagram for producing the dart," Malcolm explains. "Unfortunately, it's written in Mogadorian. I've already uploaded it to our drive and we can decipher it later when we're all together."

"What is this red dart?" John asks. "I know it's made of Rodagium, but we don't even know much about that element. All we know is that it has the ability to take away Legacies and Setrakus Ra seems to be able to use it. But if he can already take away our Legacies, why does he need the darts?"

"Maybe he's trying to mass produce them to give them to the Mogadorian soldiers," Sam suggests. I gasp in horror.

"If he gets it to all the soldiers, we won't stand a chance," I say. The look on John's face is grim.

"I was thinking the same thing," John says. "Malcolm, can you find if any more of these are being produced? Maybe if they have factories?"

"I'll get on it," Malcolm responds. "But I doubt this base will have them since it's relatively minor. Once we hit a major one like Portland or Seattle, I have no doubt we can get down to the bottom of these darts."

"Looks like Ra isn't so smart after all, if the darts can affect him as well as the Garde," Sam points out. John nods in agreement.

"We need to destroy the majority of the darts but still keep some to fight Setrakus Ra," John concludes. "That way we can counteract his ability to take Legacies away." Just then we hear a bark. We turn around and Nine, Adamus, and Lucy walk in with BK.

"We cleaned up here, so I guess now this place goes boom," Nine announces.

"Yeah, I guess. Just wait for Malcolm to finish and then we can get out," John tells him. After a minute or so Malcolm finishes. We get out and John sets off the charges. Another base down. We still have a long way to go.

John drives us north. I fall asleep in the back. When I wake up we're in Bend, Oregon. Tomorrow will be a busy day and we'll stay in Bend for a couple days before going to Portland. Malcolm checks us in and we get our rooms.

"Good day?" John asks.

"I'm tired," I yawn. "I'll probably go to sleep early."

"Me too," John agrees.

"Try not to have any dreams this time," I say and nudge him.

"I'll try," he grins. The grin disappears quickly though and I know what he's thinking. I'm thinking the same thing too, but I don't want to hear it.

"It'll be alright, Sarah," he says. "I'll make it work. I can be very persuasive." I smile. I have no doubt he will.


	30. Chapter 30: The Final Battle?

**Hey guys, had a lot of time today, so I thought, "Screw it, let's write another chapter." You guys deserve another one anyway after not uploading for three weeks. You love action, this chapter is for you. That's pretty much a guarantee every time Setrakus Ra is involved...Marina POV whole chapter, and just following the story of the Garde in India, not the ones still in the US. TheSpecterPlaywright: No, I cannot kill Sarah off. I have something else planned, and you will all just have to wait and see what it is :) Until then, read on, and don't forget to review!**

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Chapter 30

I grab some coffee as Eight goes to wake the others up. The sun peeks out of the mountains as dawn approaches. Everyone else wakes up and we quickly pack up. We have breakfast and Eight leads us out.

Eight is focused as usual, leading the way. I talk with Ella. My legs are sore from yesterday and I'm starting to feel it. I'm usually in the back, trying to catch up. Eight looks disconnected from reality and often looks into the distance. I wonder what he's thinking. He told me about another vision he had with Setrakus Ra last night.

"We're getting closer," Eight announces suddenly.

"How do you know?" Patricia asks.

"I keep hearing him in my head," Eight says and grits his teeth. "He keeps saying 'You're getting closer'."

"Does everyone have their weapons?" Patricia says worriedly. Six checks the bag and nods.

"We have the darts too," she assures. "We'll be fine. Just get in, save Devdan, and get out, right?" I bite my lip. I don't think it'll be that easy.

Patricia decides we should stop for lunch so we set up. It's getting colder and colder. Eight sits on a rock and faces towards the distance. I sit down next to him.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

"He's in my head," Eight says distantly. "He's trying to break me. I'm not going to give up."

"Do you realize how dangerous this is?" I ask. "He almost killed all of us the last time we faced him."

"We have the darts this time," Eight dismisses. "He doesn't know about that."

"Still," I insist.

"Marina, can I ask you a favor?" he suddenly says. I nod.

"You know I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt. So if we do face him, I don't want you to fight him. I'm taking him alone."

"No. This isn't just about you. We're fighting him together."

"Please, Marina. You have to understand. I don't want to lose you or anyone else. I need to fight Setrakus Ra."

"You don't even know if you're Pittacus yet! He'll slaughter you!"

"I'm stronger now. Please, Marina."

"Fine," I say and walk away. I've already decided I'm not going to do as he says. I'm sure Six, Ella, and Patricia wouldn't agree with him either. I'm not going to let him do something suicidal like that. I'm still weak compared to the other Garde, but I can fight.

We continue on. Heavy snow begins falling. We're pretty high up but not as high as people who try to climb Everest. Six controls the weather to make it only a light snow.

"I see it," Eight announces. "The cave. It's that small black speck in the distance."

"We can probably reach it by dinnertime," Patricia estimates. "One more time, is everyone ready?" We check our supplies and nod.

"Look, it's the ship!" Ella points. We look. It's hard to make out in the snowfall, but we can see the pearly white ship parked next to the cave. Setrakus Ra is definitely here.

By about four o'clock we're close to the cave. Patricia buries our supplies under some snow and we get our weapons. I have a Mog blaster and a knife. I also have my tree branch, although I doubt it'll do any good so I leave it behind. I take my dark gloves too.

A half hour later, we're at the cave. I look around and there are no smiles anymore. Even Ella is straight-faced with her weapon.

"I'm gonna throw a grenade in to take out any of the guards, and then we rush," Eight says. We don't object. He pulls the pin and throws it into the cave. A few moments later, we see a flash of light and hear an explosion.

"Go!" Eight yells and runs in. The rest of us follow in. The cave looks very advanced on the inside, with machinery and computers. There's some Mog ash on the floor. The machines are wrecked. The cave is a lot bigger on the inside.

"Stick together!" Patricia shouts as she blasts a Mog. Eight runs around, looking in every room. There seems to be only one main hallway with rooms on the side. There seem to be strangely almost no Mogs in the cave. I get an uneasy feeling.

"This way!" Eight shouts. He's reached the end of the hallway and there is a giant metal door blocking it. Eight turns into a gorilla and pounds the door until it breaks. He then shifts back and goes into the room. The rest of us file in behind.

Eight is standing there, not moving. I peer around him. I let out a small gasp. Devdan is tied to a chair, unconscious. A blue sword is dangerously close to his throat and the hand wielding it is none other than Setrakus Ra.

"I would advise you to not come any closer, Number Eight," Ra growls.

"If you kill him…" Eight begins.

"Didn't I tell you there is nothing you can do?" Ra laughs. He prods Devdan's throat with the sword. Devdan gasps and Ra draws a drop of blood.

"What do you want?" Eight asks. His fists are clenched and his teeth gritted.

"For you Garde to all die!" Setrakus Ra roars. "And before I kill you, I will make you suffer."

"You'll never succeed," Eight says. "We're four Elders to your cowardly one."

"Ah, but what is the difference?" Ra chuckles. "I have more power in my little finger than all of you. And I will demonstrate it now." He suddenly brings the sword down. We watch in horror as it separates Devdan's head from his body. The head drops onto the floor with a sickening bounce.

Everything happens in a blur. Eight screams and charges at Ra. Ra raises his cane and sends a bolt of electricity across the room. I grunt as I feel the wind knocked out of me. I watch as Eight tries to lift Ra into the air, only to clutch his head in pain. Ra grabs Eight and throws him across the room. He lands against the wall with a crash and falls to the floor.

"Now!" Six yells. With one fluid movement, she grabs a dart from her pocket and throws it at Ra. Ra sees it and sends it back. Six ducks to dodge it. I grab a dart and throw it too, but Ra sends it back. I press myself against the wall to avoid it.

Our Legacies are gone, and we can't use the darts. It's utterly hopeless. Ella and Patricia each throw darts only to be deflected.

"You caught me off guard once before, but never again," Ra growls. "Now I will kill you all."

"No," Patricia says. "It's not ending here."

"A Cepan?" Ra laughs. "You have worn out your life. Everyone else is dead."

"You underestimate the Loric, whether it is a Garde or a Cepan," Patricia smirks, and pulls out her blaster and shoots. The laser is too fast for Ra to deflect and it hits him. He's stunned, but I know it won't last long.

"Throw the dart!" Ella yells panickedly. She throws the dart before Ra can react. It hits him and I feel a burst of energy. It's like a breath of life.

"Marina, go heal Eight!" Six shouts. "We'll hold him off!"

"Reinforcements!" Ra yells. Suddenly, a Mog army swarms into the room.

"Marina, hurry!" Six yells. "Ella and Patricia, hold the Mogs off!"

I run over to Eight and quickly put my hands on his chest. I hope it's not too late.

"What makes you think you will be any more successful than last time, Number Six?" Ra asks. He brandishes his flaming whip. Six pulls out her knife. Ra laughs.

"A puny knife? I had assumed the Garde would do better than this," Ra snarls. I whisper 'come on'. I can feel the ice flowing, but it's taking longer than usual. Eight must be injured badly.

"Knife or cannon, you're dead," Six answers. Ra snaps his whip at Six. Six jumps and dodges. Meanwhile I see the Mog army pushing Ella and Patricia further back. Patricia's cannon runs out and she throws it at the nearest Mog.

"Patricia!" I yell. I telekinetically send my blaster to Patricia. She catches it, nods, and starts firing.

"Stay still, vermin," Ra says, annoyed. He snaps his whip at Six, who continues dodging.

"Marina?" I hear a weak voice. I look away from the battle scene and look down. Eight's skin is pale and he's weak, but he's alive.

"Eight, you have to get up," I plead. "We need you." I back up as Eight suddenly jumps up.

"Six fighting's Ra and Ella and Patricia are holding back an army of Mogs," I tell Eight.

"I need to fight," Eight says. Just then, Setrakus Ra turns around and sees us.

"Ah, so Number Eight is alive," Ra grunts. He raises his whip at Eight.

"No!" Six cries and turns visible. She throws her knife at Ra's back. I see black drops of blood drip onto the floor. Ra pulls it out and throws it away.

"Now you will both die." Ra raises his whip and it snaps. I realize it's for me, not Eight, but it's too late. I close my eyes and brace for the sting, but it never happens.

"Aaaahhh!" Eight yells. He jumps in front of me to block it. The whip hits him. It doesn't turn him to stone but it gives him a serious burn. His clothes are smoldering. Ra approaches us.

"What is the saying the humans have? Hit two birds with one stone? How appropritate," Ra laughs menacingly. "Or in this case, sword." He raises his sword at Eight, who is still reeling from pain and can't do anything. I pull him away as the sword plunges down and hits the wall. Next time we won't be so lucky.

"Why can't you Garde all stay still?" Ra says, annoyed. He raises the sword again. We're trapped. I try to keep him from slicing down with telekinesis, but he's too strong. He's slowly pushing down.

"Stop!" Six yells and raises a hand at Ra. Then the unthinkable happens.

A bolt of electricity shoots out of Six's hand and hits Ra in the back. He lets go of the sword and howls in pain. Six looks at her hand confusedly.

"Six, do it again!" Eight yells.

"Eight, let me heal you!" I tell him. He nods and I quickly put my hand on his shoulder. Ra has recovered and now turns towards Six.

"Thunder Strike," Ra mutters. "So many tricks for a Garde."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Six answers. She raises her hand and tries the bolt again. It shoots out at lightning speed. Ra tries to deflect it with telekinesis to no avail. It hits him square in the chest and he falls down. My healing is finished and Eight's burn is gone.

"Guys, we need to go!" Patricia yells at us. Ella is picking up Mogs and throwing them back with telekinesis, and Patricia is stabbing with a knife. "We're not going to hold them much longer!"

"There's no way out!" I yell back. "This is the end of the cave!" Setrakus Ra snaps his whip again. Eight grabs me and teleports to the other side.

Six shoots a bolt with both hands at Ra. It's bigger than the ones before and Ra tries to block it with his sword. The sword absorbs it and he yells in pain. I see sparks flying across his body, paralyzing him. He falls to the ground with a thud.

"We need to get out, now!" Ella yells. We make our way over to the door and help Patricia and her hold the Mogs off.

"What are we gonna do, fight through the Mogs?" Eight asks.

"Looks like that's our only option," Six says grimly. She looks back at Setrakus Ra. He seems to be unconscious. Six blasts him once with her blaster. He spasms and then lays still.

"I think we need to go, now!" Patricia shouts. We all use different powers at once. Six shoots bolts, Ella and I use telekinesis, Patricia swipes with her knife, and Eight uses his blaster. We manage to create a huge hole in the mob that we can squeeze through.

"Blast anything that comes to you!" Six yells. We make our way through the horde. The Mogs realize what's happening and follow us. We sprint out of the cave with the horde chasing after us. We see some helicopters and snowmobiles at the entrance of the cave.

"We're going to hijack a helicopter and get out of here!" Patricia yells. We pile into the helicopter and shut the door. Mogs pound on the door and the glass cracks. Patricia quickly starts up the helicopter. The rotors knock some of the Mogs down. Some of them start firing their cannons. Luckily it seems to be a military helicopter, but I can tell we won't be able to take much more of these blasts. Eight opens the door and blasts the Mogs. The rest of us join in with telekinesis.

Patricia finally gets the helicopter to lift off.

"Eight, shut the door, we're going!" I shout. Eight obliges and slams the door shut. We slowly lift into the air. Patricia turns it around and fires the attached machine gun at the Mogs. It cuts through them easily. We lift off and leave the cave.

"I'm thinking of landing somewhere rural," Patricia says after a while. "Somewhere we won't be questioned if we land a military helicopter."

"What just happened?" Eight asks. I'm thinking the same thing. I'm physically, mentally and emotionally drained.

"Setrakus Ra picked you up and threw you against the wall," Six tells him. "After that we tried throwing darts, but he deflected all of them. Patricia took him by surprise with a Mog blaster which gave Ella a window to use the dart. After that he called in a Mog army and all hell broke loose."

"What did I see you use?" I ask confusedly. "Did you get a new Legacy?"

Six shakes her head in disbelief. "I think so. This might be my most powerful one yet. I just…didn't want to lose you and Eight. I thought I was powerless and then I saw electricity shoot out of my hands."

"It's called Thunder Strike," Patricia says from the front. "That's what Ra was referring to. It's a very powerful and rare Legacy. Not only can you use it for battle, you have pretty much complete control over anything electrical."

"Wow," Ella says in amazement. "You're strong, Six."

"Not really," Six chuckles. "I haven't even figured out how to control it yet." Eight sighs loudly. We look at him and he buries his face in his hands.

"What's wrong, Eight?" I ask tenderly.

"Devdan," he says, choking up. He reminded me. In the heat of battle I'd forgotten that Setrakus Ra murdered Devdan in cold blood.

"Be strong, Eight," I whisper, comforting him. Six and Ella come over and give him pats on the back.

"He was my mentor," Eight whispers. "A helper, a teacher, a true friend."

"Let's make sure he didn't die in vain," I say, determined. "We'll win this war for him." Eight looks up at me. There are tears in his eyes but he puts on a face of determination and nods.

"Yes," he says. "We'll win this war. Not just for Devdan. For our race, our planet, our future. For everyone who's died for this cause. We will win this war." He wipes his face and looks out the window. It's cracked and you can feel wind coming in. The sky is dark.

"We did a lot better in our second encounter," Six comments. Eight looks at her and chuckles.

"We sure did," Eight laughs.

"You know what they say, third time's the charm," Ella quotes. Everyone laughs.

"It sure is," Patricia agrees. "Get some rest, you guys. We've had a long day." I agree and lay down in the back. My eyes close and I'm off to dreamland.


	31. Chapter 31: Psychic Predictions

**Alright guys, I'm back to prove I'm not dead XD Actually back from vacation. Got some inspirations while I was on vacation for stuff to add to this fic, so it was all good. I really don't have anything to say. If you want some fic recommendations check out I Wish I Was Number Five and Mysteryfanaticno1. Edelia Charmaine Daisy has a pretty good rewrite of I Am Number Four going so far, and there are always other Fall of Five fics that are pretty good. Three viewpoints in this chapter. Six, John, and...BARACK OBAMA? Yes! Special guest POV of the President of the United States! (I am not affiliated with Barack Obama or anything related to him BTW) The government is finally seeing a little bit of daylight...so read on and see what happens!**

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Chapter 31

The alarm clock beeps and I shut it off. I get up from the bed. Michelle is away. I take a shower and brush my teeth. I open my closet and select a suit from all of the choices that are the same suit. Just another day at the office for the President of the United States.

I head to the Oval Office to sift through the pile of bills that Congress sends me daily. I take some calls as most of the morning passes by without notice. In the middle of the morning there's a knock at the door.

"Come in," I call. The door opens and my Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, walks in.

"Mr. President, we have an urgent issue that we need you to take a look at," he tells me.

"What is it? It better be worth my time," I answer. "I've got a very busy schedule today."

"Oh, you'll see," Chuck tells me. He lays down a Top Secret file and a laptop on my desk. I immediately focus my attention.

"Remember those aliens George Bush struck a deal with about 10 years ago?" Chuck asks as he opens the file. I nod.

"What were they called? Menagorians? Modadamians?" I mutter.

"Mogadorians," Chuck corrects. "If you remember, Mr. President, they arrived at the White House with some of their soldiers and their leader, Setrakus Ra. They told us they were an alien race with advanced technology. They supplied us with weapons and iridium in exchange for our FBI help. They wanted to hunt down nine children of another alien race called the Loric who, according to them, were trying to take over Earth."

"Of course only the highest people of power know this, right?" I remark. Chuck nods.

"However, we've been noticing some strange things lately, Mr. President," Chuck says. I go through the pages in the Top Secret file. They are pictures and documents from encounters with the Mogadorians. While I do this, I see Chuck open the laptop.

"If I could have your attention, Mr. President," Chuck asks. I look up and look at the screen. "This is footage that we captured from the Mogadorian's West Virginia headquarters. It's from approximately two weeks ago." He hits the play button and I see a lab of some sort. A 20 foot tall thing, which I assume is their leader, walks around the lab. Humans are in capsules of water and there are cords connected to them.

"Are they…experimenting on them?" I ask in horror.

"Yes. I have a bad feeling about this, Mr. President. The Mogadorians don't know yet that we have access to their cameras, but I doubt they'll be in the dark for much longer. It's clear they have some other agenda they're not telling us about."

"Our army can take them, can't they?" I ask uncertainly.

"I don't know. Their weapons technology is unprecedented, but they did supply our army with their weapons. I don't think the soldiers have any advantage over ours. I think we'll let this thing unfold, Mr. President. See just exactly what it is they're trying to do."

"Thank you, Chuck. You're dismissed." Chuck nods and leaves the office. I stare at the file on my desk. After a moment I put it away in the drawer. I then turn my attention to the pile of papers still on my desk. For the rest of the day I'm only half-focused.

* * *

"Six. Wake up." I blink open an eyelid. Marina's shaking me awake.

"Where are we?" I ask tiredly.

"Still in the helicopter, remember?" Marina replies. I nod groggily. The wind whistles outside and the sun is just starting to rise.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"We're still in India. Patricia landed in the middle of the night at the base of the Himalayas to get some rest. We just got into the air about an hour ago," Marina explains.

"I think the first thing we're going to do is pick up our Chests," Patricia says from the cockpit. "I entrusted Commander Sharma with them and he should still have them. Eight's gonna find it on the GPS and we'll go there."

"Are we gonna fix this howling windshield?" I complain. "It's really chilly in here."

"I'm pretty sure if we brought a helicopter in for repairs they'd ask where we got it," Patricia muses. "So no. I plan on ditching this soon anyway. Rogue military helicopter flying around is always a suspicious thing."

"Found it," Eight says. "I gave Commander Sharma a call earlier and he gave me the coordinates."

"You called Commander Sharma?" Patricia asks sternly.

"Uh, yeah," Eight says nervously.

"Eight, they might be able to trace the call if they still want to hunt us down," Patricia sighs. "That gives us even more reason to get there quickly."

I'm starving. We left our supplies and didn't have time to grab them when the Mogs chased us down. We have no food. I dig around in the supplies and find some water. I pass a few bottles to Ella and Marina and take one myself. I also find some papers in the back. They look like research plans.

"Hey guys, what do you think this is?" I ask. Eight, Marina and Ella come over. I start reading through the plans. "Mogadorian Infusion experiment?" I read. "Experiment is now at Stage Four. Formula has been perfected and ready to be used on humans."

"I remember John and the others found a diagram in one of the bases," Eight says. "Could this be what it is?"

"Injection will cause lethal mutation?" I read in horror. "Enhanced strength and speed, controllable by electrical signal. More combat advantage than vat-born soldiers?"

"I think they're trying to make an army out of human slaves," Ella says.

"That's terrible," Marina exclaims.

"What are you guys doing back there?" Patricia calls.

"When we land at Commander Sharma's place, I'll show you," I answer. Half an hour later we arrive. Eight, Marina and Ella go collect our Chests while I stay behind with Patricia. I show her the research plans and our theory.

"Does it mention if they have an antidote?" Patricia asks. I flip through the pages.

"Antidote available in limited quantities, will most likely never require usage," I read.

"Thought so. If they're trying to create an army I don't think they'll want to cure them," Patricia says grimly.

"What should we do then?" I ask.

"We don't know anything about what they're doing yet. Let John's Somnium scout a few things before we make any moves. If they unleash the army first, then we'll have to react. And now, I need to have a word with Commander Sharma." Patricia opens the door and I follow her into Commander Sharma's home.

"What do you mean, I'm in danger?" Commander Sharma asks.

"Number Eight called you. Our enemies could have bugged the call. They might be coming right now," Patricia explains calmly.

"I don't believe you," Commander Sharma says adamantly. "This is a secret area. There is no way anyone can gain access to it."

"I'm telling you, our enemies have connections. They are probably more powerful than most of the world's governments. Please, you have to come with us."

"I am not leaving my post. My loyal men and I have stayed here for months now. I was planning to live my life here, and that will not change."

"Fine," Patricia snorts and grabs the Chests. She goes back into the helicopter and the rest of us follow.

"I still don't think it's safe for them," Eight says uneasily.

"I don't think so either. But our helicopter can't carry all of them anyway. What I'm gonna do is see if we can get a van or something to transport them. I don't want them to get involved with the Mogadorians," Patricia says.

"Where will we go after that then?" Ella asks.

"Presumably back to the US to meet up with John and the others," Patricia answers. "But for now, we're flying back to the city. I'm gonna ditch this helicopter a little before it so we don't attract attention."

* * *

I'm getting better at controlling my Somnium. I can call on it almost daily now to spy on Setrakus Ra. The last few days I've seen him advance towards the Himalayas where Eight and his group are going. I'm calling on it now again.

I see his pearly white ship parked outside the cave in India. He emerges from the cave and enters his ship. I get inside the ship. It's just a single interior with flight controls and some storage compartments.

"General Sutekh," he commands. He presses a few buttons on his dashboard and the Mogadorian general's face appears on his screen.

"Yes, my lord," he bows. "I assume all went well with the mission, sir?" Setrakus Ra makes a growling noise. I see him look down at his chest.

"No. It did not. I want a status report of matters in the United States."

"The Garde are proving to be quite troublesome, sir. They've shut down most of our bases along the west coast and I assume they'll be making their way in now. I didn't want to send an army after them until I got clarification from you, sir. But it really is becoming problematic. We have almost no control over the states of California, Oregon, and part of Washington now."

Ra mutters something and strokes his chin. He looks to be deep in thought.

"General Sutekh, is General Macedor stationed in the Midwest?" Ra asks.

"No, sir. He is currently on standby in South America."

"Not ideal. Then I will assign this task to you, since you are the closest in proximity," Ra commands. "I think I will show the Garde, particularly Number Four and that human girl exactly what is going on in their hometown. I assume the Infusion experiment is almost complete?"

"Yes, sir. The formula should be ready in a few days. I have even instructed the scientists to insert a gene that can be controlled by the electrical signals from the remote. When the signal is sent all signs of mutation, such as the discolored eyeballs and the showing of the veins, disappear."

"Perfect," Ra whispers. "Here is what I want you to do. Travel to Ohio. Wait there at either Cleveland or Cincinnati until I give you further instructions. I will send a message to Number Four and the girl tomorrow. The Garde will be the perfect test subject for our new soldiers."

"If I may ask, sir," General Sutekh says. "How did the encounter in India with the Garde go? Have they been eliminated, sir?"

Setrakus Ra growls deeply.

"In the future, General Sutekh, I advise you not to ask of my personal missions," Ra threatens. "Needless to say if my mission had succeeded the Garde would have four more scars on their ankles. I believe they will attempt to rejoin Number Four. If you inform me that the soldiers cannot eliminate them in Ohio then I will hunt them down myself. They had a stroke of luck this time. It will not happen again."

My head is swirling. Eight, Six, Marina, and Ella didn't defeat Setrakus Ra. But they're still alive. I'm wondering what happened.

"One last thing, sir," General Sutekh says. "One of our bases in India intercepted this phone conversation. As you know, we intercept every conversation between the world's phone lines, but this one may be of particular interest to you, sir."

"Playback," Ra orders. General Sutekh presses some buttons and I see the recording being downloaded to Ra's computer.

"Commander Sharma, we've survived," a voice says.

"Eight," I whisper.

"Good. Why are you calling me?" a voice answers, which I assume is Commander Sharma.

"We need to grab our Chests. They're the decorated boxes we left at your home. If you could give us the coordinates to your home we can drop by and pick them up."

Commander Sharma gives the coordinates, they exchange a few more words and then the line goes dead.

"Why is this of importance to me?" Ra asks. "The Garde are going to receive their Chests. It is likely too late now. Why does this have any significance?"

"The Commander seems to have good relations with Number Eight," General Sutekh answers. "Any emotional damage we could do to them now would probably weaken them."

"What good is it unless we use them as bait?" Ra says irritably. "I don't understand your logic."

"Very well. It was merely a suggestion, sir," General Sutekh says humbly.

"Actually, it will not take much to eliminate them," Ra backtracks. "I already have a force here. I can order them to march down to their base and kill them. It won't waste any of my personal time. Very well. Get to Ohio, General Sutekh. I will be contacting you in the near future." Ra disconnects and walks out of the ship. I follow him back into the cave.

"Who is the leader here?" Ra booms. A Mogadorian scurries from out of the pack and stands at attention. "I am giving you coordinates. March all of your soldiers down to the home and kill everyone inside. Bring your troops to the nearest base once you are finished."

"Yes, my lord," the Mog says and bows. Ra leaves and heads back into the ship. The door closes and it slowly lifts off. Suddenly, the whole world starts shaking. I know I'm waking up. I close my eyes for a minute and then reopen them.

"John, you slept in," Sarah tells me. She's stopped shaking me.

"Sarah, Setrakus Ra is going to visit you in your dreams tonight," I blurt out. Sarah looks at me strangely.

"John, did you have a nightmare or something?" she asks.

"Somnium," I answer. "He's gonna send us both a message. Try to get us to come to Paradise. Don't listen to it, Sarah. It's a trap."

"Alright, got it," Sarah says. I put my clothes on and head down to grab some breakfast.

"Malcolm," I mention.

"Hm?" he says and looks up from his plate.

"After breakfast, can you gather everyone and have them come to my room? I'm thinking of calling Eight and seeing how they did."

"Sure." I say my thanks and head back up to my room.

I dial Eight's number and call. After a few rings he picks up.

"John?" he asks. "What's up?"

"What happened in India?" I ask.

"Long story short, we got really lucky," Eight says. "Setrakus Ra probably would've killed us if Six hadn't developed her new Legacy."

"Six developed a new Legacy?" I ask, surprised. "What is it?"

"It's really cool. She can shoot electricity out of her hands. Patricia says it's called Thunder Strike." I look over to the door and Sarah and Adamus are already coming in.

"Are you guys coming back now?" I ask.

"Yeah. First we gotta get our allies to a safe place, away from the Mogs though. Then we'll come back and help you blow up some more bases." Hearing Eight mention his allies reminds me.

"Eight? Do you know who Commander Sharma is?" I ask.

"Of course. Why?" he says nervously.

"I used my Somnium to spy on Setrakus Ra last night. He ordered his Mog army to go kill Commander Sharma and his men." I hear Eight swear on the other end.

"Hang on a second," he says. "Patricia!" I hear him yell. "We need to get back there, right now!"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"We stole a helicopter from the Mogs to escape," Eight explains hurriedly. "We were gonna get a van or something to transport them out of harm's way. Patricia thought the Mogs might have bugged my call to Commander Sharma. According to you they did. We're turning around the helicopter right now."

"Hopefully it's not too late," I say. "Good luck. We're in Washington right now. Get a flight to Seattle. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, don't have time to chat," Eight says. "I'll call you back later." I hear him hang up. Everyone is in the room now.

"Alright, John," Malcolm says. "What do you need us to know?" I tell them about my dream and my call with Eight.

"So you know Setrakus Ra will send you a message tonight through your dreams, and you know to ignore it," Malcolm concludes.

"I've already told Sarah to forget about it too," I say. "We just need to continue doing what we're doing. I'll use my Somnium to keep spying on them and see what their next move is."

"Don't we have a base to explode today, Johnny?" Nine says impatiently. "Let's get going. We don't have time for talk."

"Okay, Nine," I sigh. "I suppose we should get going. We'll see what happens tonight." Everyone leaves one by one except for Sarah.

"Setrakus Ra's dreams can be scary the first time," I say to her.

"I can tell by the fact that you always wake up in a cold sweat," she replies.

"Whatever you do, be strong. Don't let him get to you. It's just a vision. We can ignore it." I lightly kiss her on the cheek.

"What if he sends a vision like he did with Eight? Where he's holding one of our friends captive and he wants us to come to him?" Sarah says worriedly.

"It'll be fine," I say. "I promise."

* * *

**Type your thoughts in that text box below, check the follow and favorite box. Thanks!**


	32. Chapter 32: Terror Tactics

**Okay, due to popular demand, Chapter 32 is up. School has started for me and I won't have time to update as often. It will probably be weekly now, probably on weekends. I realize the Fall of Five is dropping in a couple days and I'm just as excited as you guys. I do have one request though. I ask that until about a few months later when everyone has read it, no one post spoilers about the Fall of Five in their reviews. Some people have already posted spoilers, and I don't know how you guys get it, are you illegal hackers? But anyway, no spoilers about the book on this fic. Polite request. So back to the fic, this is chapter 32. Some darker themes in this chapter. Not suitable for children. (Then again this is T rated, so children shouldn't be reading anyway) Marina, John, Sarah POV. Enjoy! And don't forget to review!**

* * *

Chapter 32

"We have to hurry!" Eight says worriedly.

"I'm flying as fast as I can!" Patricia answers. It's been half a day and we were close to the airport. Now we're flying back because John said Setrakus Ra planned to kill Commander Sharma. Patricia bought some duct tape and patched up the cracks in the glass so the wind doesn't howl and chill us anymore. The other Garde say apparently duct tape can fix anything.

"What's the top speed of this thing?" Eight asks.

"Around 150 mph," Patricia replys. "It is a military standard helicopter. But India is a big country."

"How far are we?" Ella asks.

"We should be close now. It's getting around five o'clock. Once we do this we'll have to come back to the city, drop them off, and then spend the night there. I'll buy tickets back to Seattle in the morning."

I glance in the back. Ella's sitting against the wall and Six is practicing her new Legacy. I go over and sit by Six. Tiny sparks pop up when she tries it.

"You having luck?" I ask.

"It's not working like it did back in the cave," Six sighs. "If I really concentrate I can make a big bolt that fizzles after half a second."

"Maybe developing new Legacies is triggered by emotions," I suggest.

"Maybe," Six mutters. She tries again. A tiny spark dances up and fizzles out.

"It's a new Legacy," Patricia calls from the front. "It'll take time to develop. Don't work yourself up about it right now."

"I know," Six sighs.

"Is something bothering you?" I ask.

"No," Six says quickly. I'm not sure.

"Are you sure?" I ask again.

"No," Six admits.

"You can tell me," I say and smile. Six nods.

"I miss Sam," she sighs. "I wanna get this over with and just get back. I think he misses me too."

"Tomorrow, probably. We can rejoin them in Washington and all fight together again."

"Yeah. I'm kinda tired. Wake me up when we get there." I nod and Six lays down on the bench.

We get to the home about an hour later. Patricia lands the helicopter.

"I'm going last," Eight says quietly.

"Don't worry," Six says. "We'll get in there and they'll just all be having dinner." But she doesn't sound sure herself. Like prisoners going to an execution, we slowly walk to the shabby building. Only now does it dawn on me what we might find.

Patricia knocks. No answer. She knocks again after a minute. Still nothing. She tentatively pushes the door. It swings open. She goes in there and gasps. The rest of us file in behind her. We see a gruesome sight.

The table is overturned and the room is trashed. There's some blood splattered on the walls. The place is a wreck. Eight goes upstairs and I follow him. He checks all of the rooms. There's a stench coming from some of the rooms. Eight goes in and shakes his head. I go in after him and gasp. There's a man lying on the floor with a slit throat. Eight checks Commander Sharma's quarters.

"No," Eight whispers. "No, no, no." Commander Sharma is propped up against the wall. There's dried blood around his chest and trickling out of his mouth. He's clearly dead. Eight walks out of the room and downstairs. I look around. His room has been trashed just like the others.

"We were too late," Patricia says when we get downstairs. "The whole place is destroyed. I'm surprised the Mogs didn't blow the building up too."

"Guys, I wanna leave," Ella says, uncomfortable.

"Yeah, we probably should," Six agrees. "I don't wanna spend any more time in this building." Ella walks out and Six follows her. The rest of us walk out after a few seconds.

On the ride back it's dead silent. I try to put the pictures out of my mind and sleep. I can't. My mind won't let me. Everyone is just staring blankly, not saying anything. It's getting dark outside and there's nothing to do. I just close my eyes and try not to think about anything. Eventually I fall into a dreamless sleep.

The feeling of descending wakes me up. We're landing at the airport. It's pitch-black out and there's little activity. The helicopter lands and we unbuckle our seat belts. Patricia leads us to the gate, but we're stopped by an official. He says something in Hindi. We all look at Eight. Eight says something back and he nods. He holds his hand out. Eight looks nervous.

"What did he say?" Patricia asks.

"He wants identification," Eight says nervously.

"There should be a badge or something in the helicopter. Tell him I'm gonna go grab it." Eight nods and translates it to the official. He frowns and says something.

"He says he's coming with us," Eight calls to Patricia. She nods and we follow her. She goes in the cockpit and digs around in the drawer. I look at the official. He looks suspiciously and says something to Eight. Eight laughs nervously and says something back.

"Guys, we have a problem," Eight tells us. "He's asking why there's cracks and holes in the glass. I told him we crashed a few days ago. But he's starting to get suspicious."

Patricia finally comes out with a badge. We look at it. It's a picture of the Mog that probably piloted this helicopter. Not good.

"What are we gonna do?" Patricia asks desperately. Eight says some quick words to the official, but he yanks the badge from Patricia. He squints at it, and then reaches for his radio. He gets the alarm off and Six knocks him out a split second later. Lights start flashing in the buildings and we can hear a distant siren.

"Shit, we gotta get going," Six mutters. She sprints towards the parking lot and the rest of us follow her. We reach it and it's full of cars.

"What do we do now? We don't have keys," I say.

"I realize that," Six replies. "Just wait." She tells us to hide behind the concrete walls. She waits until she sees a car pass. It's an airport car and there's a security guard driving it. She jumps on the hood and smashes the window to get in. The guard drives wildly and the car starts to slow down. It's no match. Six throws him out of the car and drives it back towards us.

"There are less violent ways to get a car, you know," Patricia mutters.

"I doubt they're as fast as this," Six answers. She punches up on the hood and the dent disappears.

"I don't think driving an airport car is the best idea," Ella says.

"We'll ditch it as soon as we leave," Six responds. "Now, can you guys stop talking and get in?" We oblige and get in. Six drives around before finding the exit. We enter onto an Indian freeway.

"Where to?" Six asks. Patricia looks around in the glove box and finds a map.

"Even if we find a hotel, there's no use," Patricia sighs. "The police will already have been contacted. Sometimes I wish you'd use your head before making decisions."

"Then where do you suggest we stay?" Six says sarcastically. "In a hut?"

"We can bribe someone to stay at their place," I suggest.

"We don't want to put any more innocents in danger," Eight says.

"How about we just teleport out of here?" Ella asks.

"My teleportation is still unreliable. We might end up somewhere we don't want to be," Eight answers.

"It's a better solution than anything else anyone's said," Six says. "Let's do it. Where did John say they were staying?"

"Seattle," I answer.

"Isn't that like rainy forests and mountains?" Eight asks.

"Something like that," Patricia responds. "Let's go." Six finds an empty parking lot and parks the car. Eight takes Ella and me first. I close my eyes as I feel spinning. When I open them I'm on a street in a big city. It's early morning. I assume it's Seattle. Eight and Ella are next to me.

"I'm going back for Six and Patricia," Eight says and disappears. I notice there's a homeless man in front of me with wide eyes.

"You didn't see anything," I tell him. He nods vigorously and runs away. I sigh. Eight reappears a moment later with Six and Patricia.

"Well, I guess now we should go find the others," Six says.

* * *

For a city like Seattle the base was surprisingly terrible. It was in a run-down building with few Mogs. We blew through it easily and still had five hours to kill afterwards. Now it's getting dark and we're heading back to the hotel. Sam looks like there's something wrong with him. He constantly sighs and looks distant. I make a mental note to talk to him later.

I try to get off my mind what's going to happen tonight. I try talking with the others and enjoying the food, but it's still nagging in the back of my head. Ra's dream. Tonight. _He's not gonna scare you, _I scold myself. But I'm not so sure deep inside.

Sam goes up to his room early. Now would be the best time. I knock on his room and he opens the door.

"Oh, John," Sam says. "Come on in." I walk in and he sits down in his chair. "What do you need?" Sam asks.

"Is something bothering you?" I ask.

"No," Sam says quickly. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. You seem…depressed. You haven't been yourself."

"No, there's nothing wrong," Sam says adamantly. I doubt it. I know him too well.

"I'm pretty sure there is," I say again. "You can tell me. I'm not Nine." He laughs a little at that.

"Well…um…I don't know," he begins.

"What?" I ask.

"I miss Six," he says quietly. I almost laugh but I know he's serious.

"She should be getting back soon," I tell him.

"Yeah, I know. It's just so strange not having her here."

"You can live. I survived months without Sarah, didn't I?"

"Because you cheated on her with Six," Sam snorts. I glare at him.

"That's a thing of the past," I say. "Don't bring it up again." Sam realizes his mistake.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "I won't mention it. It just slipped out."

"It's alright," I say. "Maybe I should tell Six what you said," I say with a grin.

"You better not," Sam says. "She'll kick my ass."

"Haha, I won't," I wink. "See ya, then." Sam smiles and nods. I leave his room and go to mine.

"Where were you?" Sarah asks.

"Talking with Sam," I answer.

"Having a guys-only talk?" Sarah asks and rolls her eyes. I grin.

"Something like that." She sighs.

"I'm scared, John," she says suddenly.

"About what? Ohhhh yeah!" I answer when Sarah looks at me.

"You've been through it. What's he gonna do?" she asks.

"It's scary the first time. And he's in complete control. Remember, just stay strong and don't listen to anything he says," I advise her.

"Alright," Sarah says uncertainly. I kiss her on the cheek.

"It'll be fine," I say. "One day I'll run through him with a sword and we'll all be happy." Sarah flashes a small smile and goes to get ready for bed. I do my things after she's done. I join her, whisper good night, and turn the lights off.

"Welcome, Number Four," I hear a voice boom. So it begins. I'm in semi-darkness, but I can make out some objects. They look like test capsules and lab equipment.

"We are working on developing a new little weapon," the voice chuckles.

"Shut up, Ra," I mutter.

"Ah, Number Four has improved his bravery," Ra laughs. I almost say something about knowing this was going to happen but I catch myself at the last minute. Giving away my Somnium might spell the end.

"As you may assume, we have been experimenting on humans for the last few years," Ra continues. "And we have finally perfected our formula. Observe." The lights flash on and I'm blinded momentarily. I see the lab in full view now. Dozens of humans are strapped to chairs, yellow-eyed and frothing at the mouth. I gasp in horror. Ra is standing by them.

"This is the jewel, the crowning achievement of Mogadorian science," Ra laughs. "Oh, better not get ahead of myself. This is the second greatest achievement in Mogadorian science."

"What's first?" I ask sarcastically. "Brains?"

"You will be dead before you can find that out," Ra replies. "But what I really wanted to show you was this. Observe." He goes through the test tubes and picks one out. It's a bubbling yellow liquid.

"Our scientists worked for months to perfect this," Ra explains. "Injected into humans, turning them into the perfect army. Perhaps even better than vatborn Mogadorians."

"What the fuck?" I ask in horror.

"The liquid is injected and then the human becomes our slave," Ra continues. "We control them with a remote that sends electrical signals. The signals travel through the liquid and into the infected brain, where we can control the human and make it do virtually anything. It mutates them, giving them enhanced strength and speed and beastlike attributes."

"You're sick," I spit.

"I do not mind what you think of me," Ra chuckles. "But I brought you here to give you a live demonstration. You may or may not recognize this person." He pushes a button on the control equipment and one of the beds is pushed forward. There's a human in it, snarling and wild. I gasp. It's Mark James.

"What?" I whisper.

"I believe this is your friend? It is a shame for him to turn out like this," Ra laughs. He releases Mark and he falls to the ground. He looks at me and growls.

"My little pet, show our guest what you can do," Ra commands. He presses some buttons and Mark jumps in the air. He reaches the ceiling and comes back down. Then he runs around the lab, jumping on top of equipment. Ra presses another button and he bites into the steel wall, ripping a chunk out of it. Ra hears my gasp and laughs evilly.

"As soon as the formula is mass produced, we will have an army," Ra says sinisterly. "And then, not even you will be able to stop us." Mark leaps at me. I cry out and get out of the way.

"Joohhhnnn," he drools. "Jooohhhhnn Smmiiittthh."

"Now you have seen the extent of Mogadorian technology. The town you hold dear has already been enslaved, all 5000 people. Perhaps if you visit I could give you an actual demonstration." Ra laughs maniacally. I back away as much as possible. Mark leaps at me again. I'm cornered. The last thing I see is his mutated jaws and everything goes black.

* * *

"Sarah Hart," a voice booms. I'm scared. It's pitch-black and I don't know where I am.

"Who are you?" I yell. My voice echoes but I can't see anything.

"How adorable, the love interest of Number Four," the voice says mockingly. "Tell me, what would you do for him?"

"Show me who you are!" I shout.

"You're a brave little human," the voice says. "Let's see just how daring you really are." It suddenly becomes bright and I cover my eyes. When they adjust I see him. Setrakus Ra. We're in some prison block.

"What do you want?" I ask, scared.

"For you to turn Number Four in to me," Ra replies.

"Make me," I say, my voice stuttering.

"I think you will strongly reconsider when I show you what I can offer." Ra walks down the hallway. I gulp and follow him slowly. He reaches the end and stops. He turns and stares at me.

"This is interesting. The first time I have attempted my dream technique on a human," Ra comments. I'm paralyzed. I don't say anything. "Allow me to show you what I offer for Number Four." He opens the cell on the right and goes in. He drags someone out. I recognize him. My father.

"No," I say, choking up.

"That's not all," Ra chuckles. He opens each one of the other cells. My mom and my two brothers. "Do you recognize these people?" Ra asks, interested. I'm sobbing.

"Here is my deal, Sarah Hart," Ra says. "Come to Ohio. Bring Number Four. I realize you have possession of my experimental incapacitators. Number Four must be injected with one of these. He will be unarmed with no Legacies. You will turn him over to me and I will exchange it for your family unharmed. Consider my offer. Do you want to keep fighting a war that means nothing to you, Sarah Hart? I offer you the chance to forget about this. Forget the Garde, the Mogadorians, the war. When the Garde are defeated I might even promote you to a position of power."

"No," I sob. Ra stares menacingly.

"If you refuse, then this will happen." Ra pulls out a jagged blue sword. I know what's going to happen, but I can't tear my eyes away. He's targeting my mom. He brings the sword down and everything goes black.

I wake up with John next to me. I can't see clearly because there are tears in my eyes. I notice John's awake. I'm still crying.

"Shhh, it's okay," John whispers. I bury my head in his chest.

"John," I start, but can't finish. I start sobbing again. John looks like he's been through a lot too. He embraces me and I keep crying. After a while I let go of him and look at him. He hands me a tissue and I blow my nose.

"Are you ready?" John says quietly.

"I think you should tell me first," I say and hiccup. John nods and tells me about his dream. I get more and more disgusted at Setrakus Ra. When he finishes I look at him.

"What are you gonna do?" I ask.

"I don't know," John says and looks away. "I really don't know."

"I need to get this off my chest. Can I tell you now?" I whisper. John looks at me and nods. I try to start but it's too hard.

"You can tell me later," John whispers. I shake my head.

"I'll tell you now," I say, and start. John listens intently while I tell him. When I finish he looks at me sadly.

"You know he's lying," he says.

"I know," I say sadly. "He'll just kill you and then kill my family as well."

"There's no choice," John mutters. "We have to go to Paradise. Ra's cooking up something sinister and he's holding your family captive. I don't care if he's setting a trap, we have to go there."

"You're the one who said he plays to emotions though," I point out.

"More than our loved ones are at stake this time," John says grimly. "I don't know how strong this human army of his is. But we have to put an end to it before it gets out of hand."

"Are you going to tell the others?" I ask.

"I have to, don't I?" John says. "I'll call Eight and see where they are. And I'll tell everyone about it at breakfast. We're gonna have to throw our plans out of the window. We have to go to Paradise."

John's phone rings. He picks it up.

"Eight, yeah? You're here in Seattle? How? Oh, okay. Yeah, okay. I'll give you the address," John says. They exchange words and then he hangs up.

"Perfect," John says. "They've arrived by teleporting. We're gonna need everyone for Paradise."

* * *

**BTW I expect the final story to be around 50-60 chapters. I'm not gonna split it in two and write a sequel, I think I'll just keep it all together. I will write a sequel to this though if I have time (a big if). I've already mentioned what it's going to be about, but if you don't know you can PM me and I'll tell you the details. Also I do come up with the chapter titles on the spot, so if you can't tell already some of them are pretty bad. If anyone has ideas for renaming previous chapters I would welcome them.**


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